


into the great wide open

by mixedfandomfics



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 1840s (ish?), Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Western, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bandits & Outlaws, Cowboys & Cowgirls, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Girl Direction, Girl niall, Gold Rush, Historical, Historical Inaccuracy, Horseback Riding, Horses, Louis Tomlinson Calls Harry Styles Pet Names, Minor Character Death, Minor Gun Violence, Pioneers, Westward Expansion, Wild West, a shocking lack of homophobia considering, and some cows, as with all of my fics there is way too much precedence set on the pets, everyone has a horse or three all of them have names, funky little lesbian cowgirls, girl Zayn, girl harry, girl louis, liam stayed a boy because i wasn't creative enough to make a girl deputy seem plausible, listen just read it im bad at tags, raising hell and bein famous outlaws, stirring up trouble, theres a dog, theyre just dumb gays in love, theyre like 20 and 22 to start maybe like 30 and 32 at the end, who really knows time isnt real
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 69,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22045030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mixedfandomfics/pseuds/mixedfandomfics
Summary: It only took a week or so for Harry to truly get into the routine of life on the road. They woke before dawn each morning, ate a small meal, packed up the tent and rounded up the livestock, all before setting out. On a good day, they could make it twenty miles. There hadn’t been many bad ones, but Louis confessed that on a previous trip there had been a solid week where they hadn’t made it more than five miles a day. Soon, Louis promised, animals would start going lame, and wheels would start breaking, and people would start going hungry. The beginning was the easiest, and the end was doable only because the hope of finishing the trek fueled everyone. It was the middle bit, with the tedious marching hundreds of miles from any settlement, that people succumbed to the journey.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Liam Payne, but like Niam Lite blink and u miss it
Comments: 12
Kudos: 45





	1. The Trail

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been almost 1.5 years in the making and is 100% a self indulgent daydream. I cannot begin to express how much I have come to love this story and how excited I am to share it. If I had my way, it would be 3x as long, but I needed to finish before it took me another 1.5 years.
> 
> Thank you so, so, so much to Kirstin, Ella, Lissa, Gabby, and Sia for betaing, and so much to all of my beautiful friends that listened to me bitch about this fic for so long and offered ideas and support. Also a massive thank you to Jesse for providing the playlist!
> 
> This is a story in 3 parts, and I will try to post warnings with each chapter. There is nothing extremely graphic, but as with any western there are some scenes of gun violence.
> 
> Also, a minor side note. I did post chapter 1 of this fic earlier in the year when I thought that I would be done in a timely manner. Apologies to anyone that read then and had to wait this long!
> 
> Title is taken from "Into the Great Wide Open" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for Chapter One:  
> \- snakes  
> \- minor character death

[ _**when my train pulls in - gary clark jr** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/7wHFwwpg9sOEh5fcrI69eP)

“Whoever thought there should be this many layers to a dress must have never visited Missouri,” Harry muttered to herself, dabbing the sweat from her forehead and doing up the last button on the front of her dress. Despite the early hour, muggy heat was settling over the city like a damp cloud, immovable by the breezes that occasionally whispered through without bringing any relief. Dress sorted, Harry found her matching hat and carefully secured it with a few pins, giving herself a once over in the mirror and brushing any imaginary flecks of dirt off. 

“Harriet! Are you ready?” her mother called from the base of the stairs, already dressed and fanning herself lightly. “It’s nearly time!” 

Delightful. Nearly time to go sweat in a stuffy old church full of stuffy old ladies who had nothing better to do than to gossip about who was available, which new bachelors were staying in town instead of passing through on the journey West, and whom best to marry Harry and the rest of the single girls off to. 

“Yes, mother!” Harry called back instead of voicing any of these grievances, making sure her curls were pinned appropriately and carefully descending the stairs. The second she was in view, her mother’s analytical eyes tore apart every detail and searched for anything to correct. But as usual, she found nothing. Harry hated being nitpicked, so she simply attained perfection the first time around rather than giving her mother loose curls or missed buttons to notice. 

“Good. Let’s go then,” her mother sniffed primly. She opened the door to the bustling streets and raised her parasol to shade herself on the short walk to the church. Harry walked close behind her, letting her eyes wander the busy street, admiring the bright dresses and the flashing of metal shoes on the feet of passing horses. She allowed a small smile to grace her features at the sight of some young children with their faces pressed against the window of a candy shop, slipping them a penny when her mother wasn’t looking. She pressed a finger to her lips to quiet their thanks, only winking playfully as they hurried inside the shop. 

They were early to church by a few minutes, as per usual, and settled at the front pew. Two ladies from her mother’s sewing club bustled over to greet the rather severe-looking woman, leaving Harry to fan herself with the hymnal and gaze at the way the dusty light filtered into the room. Once she had seen a church with stained glass windows—it had been the most beautiful sight. If this church had such a thing, perhaps she wouldn’t be so bored. She could just admire the colors instead of schooling a passive look onto her features and barely keeping up the facade of knowing what the sermon was about. 

The lesson passed as most of them do: lots of talk of fire and brimstone and a gentle sprinkle of God’s love so as not to end the day with a bad taste in one’s mouth. Harry followed her mother like an obedient puppy for the next hour or so as she wandered the building and the small yard in front of it, having the same conversations with the same people as every week before ( _Whose daughters are available? What men came to town? Can you believe she’s wearing that? I tried a new sewing pattern)_. Harry could recite every interaction nearly by heart. She knew when to smile sweetly, when to stay quiet, and when to politely decline efforts made to find her a husband. 

Nothing ever changed in this town.

That night, over supper, Harry’s mother dropped a bombshell.

“Cincinnati? You’re sending me to Cincinnati?” Harry demanded, a frustrated red tint sitting on her cheeks. “Why?”

“There’s a lovely finishing school there, and the opportunity to meet wealthy young men, since you won’t accept the proposals of any here. You should start packing, Harriet, you leave Friday. Mistress Snodgrass of the finishing school will meet you when you arrive,” her mother said simply, not even looking up from her plate as she carefully sliced her meat. “You should be grateful.”

“I- you-” Harry stammered furiously, clenching her jaw. She had no desire to marry, no desire to leave Missouri, especially not to go to some city back East known for packaging pork. She schooled a blank and passive expression on her face, forcing a deep breath into her lungs. “May I be excused?” she requested calmly, her words lacking inflection. 

Her mother flicked her eyes from Harry’s untouched meal to the girl’s clenched fist. “You may,” she said simply. “Do not expect anyone to hold your plate. You will go without if you do not eat now.”  
  


Harry simply nodded stiffly and ran up the stairs, forcing herself not to slam the door and instead settling on her bed, hugging her pillow tightly and screaming into it to release her frustration. 

Friday. Three days from now, she would be on the train East to Ohio. 

Damn it to hell. 

  
  


It took approximately 47 minutes for Harry to decide she was not going to Cincinnati, under any circumstances. All through that night, unable to sleep, she put together her plan to escape. 

Essentially, the plan was to go West instead of East when her mother wasn’t looking. 

She had seen in the newspaper that the caravan was to depart from the train station on Friday. The caravan left around the same time as the train, so all Harry had to do was steal her horse Lucky and join the caravan instead of getting on the train. 

Easier said than done, of course. But as long as she held back some of her clothes and packed them in a small sack, then she could convince her mother to leave once her bags were checked, sneak off the train, and no one would know until the train reached Cincinnati. By then, it would be too late. 

And so, it began. Harry rounded up all of the pocket money she had kept back over the years and found a needle, thread, and a spare bit of cloth. Carefully, she sewed a hidden pocket into the skirt of one of her hardier dresses, her favorite for riding in. When she stood it had the appearance of a full skirt, but in reality, it was two legs that allowed her to ride astride instead of sidesaddle while still remaining modest. 

She sealed the pocket closed so that there was no chance of the money being lost, and began packing. She picked two mid-size cases, small enough she could carry them on her own. Harry methodically packed a sewing kit, a writing kit, as well as several changes of her best traveling clothes. With a quiet sigh, she glanced up at the wall where a photograph of her with her father hung. Harry crossed the room swiftly and took the frame off of its hanging before she could have a second thought. She placed it gently among the fabrics and shut the case, locking it closed with a final-sounding snap. He would approve of her plans, were he alive. He would never send her off to Cincinnati. Ever so carefully, she tucked the case underneath her bed, and began packing the rest of her belongings into newer, larger cases that her mother would approve of.

“Pardon me,” came a firm, though somewhat perplexed voice. It was just before dawn, and Harry had snuck her favorite gelding, Lucky, from the stable, and was currently tying him to a small wagon towards the front of the caravan. 

Harry lurched and whirled around. “Um. Hello,” she stammered, eyes landing on a stocky woman dressed in… _men’s clothes_? 

“How do you do,” the woman said politely. “I believe that’s my wagon you’ve loaded your case and tied your horse to.” 

“I… I know,” Harry said sheepishly, trying to search for the words to explain. 

“So you’re trying to frame me as a horse thief?” The shorter woman raised an eyebrow. “He’s a fine looking lad, but I can’t say I fancy finding out the punishment for stealing a horse in Missouri. Where I’m from, it’s the noose.” 

“No, no… I-” Harry sighed. “My mother is sending me East to find a husband. I don’t want to. I want to join the caravan and go West.” 

That clearly hadn’t been what the woman was expecting. “And you expect that horse to carry you all that way? Are you hiding more trunks under your skirts with provisions and cookware and supplies? Can you even ride in those skirts?” she asked matter-of-factly, watching Harry deflate with each question. 

“I can ride,” Harry said defensively. “I rode here. And I left the sidesaddle at home. I brought clothes, and paper, and money. I can cook and clean and I’m not as soft as you think I am,” she said with a huff. 

“I’m sure you’re not.” The woman laughed kindly. “But money does you no good on a wagon train where no one has any use for it. Cooking and cleaning are fine and well, but you’ve nothing to do either with. And as fine a horse as that lad is, he’s not going to carry you from here to California.”

Harry felt tears prick her eyes. “I can’t go East to be married off. I can’t,” she said shakily. “I don’t want to live in a city that smells of pigs and be tied to a man I don’t love. This is my best shot.”

The woman sighed heavily. “The crocodile tears won’t break me, miss” she said, one hand on her hip. 

Harry shook her head. “It’s not an act,” she said stubbornly, trying to control her emotions. “Just let me tie my horse here? If I don’t manage to sneak off the train then… then just let him loose. He knows his way home. If I come back, then I’ll manage for myself. You’ll see.”

The shorter woman chuckled and shook her head. “Very well, miss,” she murmured, extending a calloused hand. “I’m Louis Tomlinson. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
  
“Harriet Styles. Harry,” Harry corrected herself, shaking Louis’ offered hand. “I, um. Thank you, for helping me.”

Louis simply smiled. “I hope you’re as tough as you talk, Miss Styles. We’re in for a long journey ahead.”

Harry nodded softly, biting her full lower lip. “I um, should get back home. My mother will be waking up soon. No one will notice Lucky is gone for a while; the horses have already been fed and the staff won’t check on them again until noon unless need be, and my mother wanted to walk to the station. Also, Lucky is quite good at undoing latches, so he’s let himself out before.” 

Louis laughed. “Clever lad. I’ll keep a close eye on him then.” She winked. “Best get back to your mother, Ms. Styles. Good luck.” 

Harry thanked Louis profusely as she wove through the caravan and down the street to her home, quietly slipping in the back door and kissing the cheek of Nana, the kitchen maid, as she passed. Everyone that was employed in the house had a soft spot for Harry. She always treated them with kindness, made them small gifts for holidays, and helped out when she could, rather than being the dictator her mother was. 

“Bobby said he saw you sneakin’ Lucky out the barn early this morning,” Nana said mildly, stirring a large pot of stew that was probably for supper. “You plannin’ somethin’, Miss Harry?” 

Harry blushed. “Absolutely nothing, Nana.” She winked. 

The old woman just tutted and shook her head. “I’ll sneak you a little somethin’ for the road, Miss Harry. At least you’ll be well fed when your mama kills you.” 

Harry just giggled and kissed the woman’s cheek once more in thanks, managing to dodge the swat that the old woman sent her way and heading to tiptoe up the stairs and change into her slightly less uncomfortable traveling clothes. The two cases she had loaded into Louis’ wagon held her most comfortable, plainest clothes, as well as sturdy outerwear, a waterproofed cloak, and a few spare pairs of shoes. Bobby had already taken the rest of her cases, containing her less practical dresses, to the train station to be loaded into the luggage car. Harry heard her mother wake up and begin to move around just as she did up the last button on her grey traveling gown, and so she headed downstairs for breakfast as per her usual habits. 

Harry was sipping her tea as her mother arrived downstairs, fully dressed and hair perfect. It was ridiculous how quickly the woman could get ready. “Good morning, Mother,” Harry said politely, setting her tea down as Nana deftly served breakfast to both women. 

“Good morning, Harriet. I trust you have packed your belongings appropriately?”

“Yes, ma’am. Bobby has already taken the cases to the train station,” Harry confirmed before taking a bite of fresh fruit. 

“Excellent. I have a meeting with the mayor’s wife to attend this morning. Bobby can escort you to the train station since I will be unable to.”

Harry barely managed to keep her face from betraying her joy. “Yes, ma’am,” she said. This was working out perfectly. She forced herself to focus on her breakfast, taking even breaths. Everything was going to work out. She was going West. 

Bobby was waiting with the carriage out front, smiling knowingly at Harry as she kissed her mother on the cheek and climbed in without assistance. Harry produced two small parcels from the pockets she sewed into her skirts, giving one to Bobby. “Breakfast from Nana.” She smiled, pocketing her other one for later. 

“Thank you, Miss Harry.” Bobby smiled, urging the large cart horse forward and towards the train station. “Any reason Lucky is gone from his stall this morning?”

Harry smiled sheepishly. “He’s coming with me West?” she said. “I don’t want you to get in trouble, Bobby, but I can’t walk all that way.”

Bobby shook his head and sighed. “How’s a little thing like you going West by herself?” he demanded. “It’s not safe, Miss Harry.”

“I’ve made an acquaintance,” Harry said defensively. “You can’t stop me, Bobby. My mind is made up. I’m tougher than you think.” 

“I’d never dream of trying to stop you, Miss Harry.” Bobby laughed. “Not when your mind is made up. We all just worry about you, me and Nana and the rest.”

“I’ll send word when I’ve settled,” Harry promised quietly, touched by his words. She knew she regarded them as family, but she didn’t know fully ‘til now that it went both ways.

“Yes, ma’am, you will.” Bobby nodded firmly. “I’ll not be on my deathbed wondering whether you lived or you died. And I’ll tell the rest Lucky got sick overnight, that I had to ease his pain.”

“Thank you, Bobby.” Harry smiled softly, squeezing his shoulder. “I appreciate it.” 

“Think nothing of it, Miss Harry,” Bobby said kindly. “Everyone knows that horse is yours and hardly listens to any other man. Take good care of him, now.”

“I will, I promise.”

The pair rode in companionable silence the rest of the short journey to the train station. Harry could see the caravan getting ready just behind it, and felt excited energy thrum in her bloodstream. She bid Bobby farewell, gripping her train ticket and handing it to the conductor as she boarded the first class passenger car. Just as she remembered, there was a second door on the opposite side of the car, and once she had been escorted to her seat she waited a few minutes, made sure no one was paying her any mind, and exited to the opposite side of the platform, walking quickly to the caravan and where she remembered Louis’ wagon was.

Lucky whickered softly to her as soon as she was in sight, and she beamed at the sturdy bay gelding. He was handsome, with a thick neck and refined head; one of the hardy Morgan breed commonly used by the military men. He was the son of her father’s horse, the only thing left to her when he died in battle five years ago. She and Lucky had both been young at the time and had latched on to each other, practically inseparable. 

“So you managed to escape after all,” Louis chuckled, appearing from behind the horse. She had rigged the wagon to six large oxen, and a number of small children were now following her around. “Just in time, too. We’re movin’ out.”

“So I did.” Harry smiled. “Thank you, again, Louis. And who are these lovely ragamuffins?” She crouched down so she was eye level with the small band of ruddy-cheeked children.

Louis chuckled. “This is Elizabeth, Henry, Esther, and Arthur. Their mother Catharine is over there,” she introduced each child. “They are already very fond of your Lucky.”

“I’m sure he is equally fond of them.” Harry laughed, scratching the horse’s favorite spot just behind his ears. Harry couldn’t help but notice the thin frame of all of the children, and especially of Louis, who was climbing into the front seat of the wagon and gathering the reins of the oxen. Clearly not unaccustomed to walking, the three older children fell into step beside the tall wheels of the covered wagon after Elizabeth situated Arthur on one hip. 

As the train of wagons started creaking into motion, Harry elected to stay on the ground with the children. Lucky would need to save his strength, so she could walk the first part of the day. Thinking again of their skinny frames, she quietly produced the small packet Nana had slipped her as she was leaving this morning. It was full of four thick rolls, stuffed with small bits of ham and onion. She took two out and, tearing both in half, gave each child a piece . They all gasped and hurriedly ate the rolls, giggling to themselves. Harry pocketed the rest for later, and quickly found herself the leader of a short train of small kids, all with a hand on her skirt to stay together. 

There was no place she would rather be. 

[ **_cowboy take me away - dixie chicks_ ** ](https://open.spotify.com/track/3rXCZRMiMZp0feGcYXpwYX)

By midday, the humid Missouri sun was beating down on the train, and Harry was growing tired. She was fit, but hours of walking was not something she was accustomed to, nor was it something her shoes were truly designed for. Louis’ young followers had all clambered into their family wagon to escape the heat, and Harry decided to untie Lucky and ride him. The gelding stood patiently while she gained momentum enough to mount him and settle in the saddle, then picked up an easy pace alongside Louis towards the front of the wagon. 

“How are you holdin’ up, Miss Styles?” Louis asked with a wry smile. “No regrets yet? I’m sure you could be home by sundown.” 

“No, thank you.” Harry smiled politely. “There is nothing keeping me there. Blistered feet and sunburn are part of the adventure, I suppose. And call me Harry, please.”

“That they are, Harry,” Louis sighed, “That they are. The adventure never stops, I assure you.” 

“You’ve been West before then?” Harry asked curiously, slipping the last two rolls from her pocket and handing one to Louis. The woman eyed it before accepting it with thanks. 

“I take it these are why the young ones took to you,” Louis chuckled. “But yes, I have. I had a twin brother, Lucas. He and his wife Niall went West three years ago when they caught wind of gold prospecting. I decided to join them. Lucas was killed in an altercation, but Niall still runs the hotel they started in Sacramento.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Harry said kindly. “Why did you come back East?”

Louis nodded her thanks. “It’s good money, leadin’ caravans.” She shrugged. “And I’m good at navigating. Most men throw fits being led by a woman, so I end up with a ragtag bunch to protect—women whose husbands have already made it West or those too poor to pay some of the other men. Think this’ll be the last trip though. Niall needs help with the hotel and you can only be lucky enough to survive this trip so many times before the odds start tipping against you.”

Harry hummed. “They’re lucky to have you,” she said softly, carding her fingers through Lucky’s mane, letting a silence fall over them. 

“That’s kind of you.” Louis smiled at her taller counterpart, before taking a large bite of roll. “Thank you, for this.” She indicated the bread. “It’s delicious.”

Harry nodded, a wide grin causing dimples to crater her face. “I wish I could have taken the woman that made them with me. She practically raised me.”

“Not your mother?” Louis interpreted, chewing slowly to savor the food. 

Harry scoffed. “I don’t think my mother has set foot in the kitchen since she was a girl,” she shook her head, “No, she was something of a housekeeper. My family was not rich by any means, but well off enough to employ a few people.”

Louis laughed. “Hate to break it to you, darlin’, but that is the definition of rich.” 

Harry blushed. “Very well then,” she shrugged, tugging gently on the reins to prevent Lucky from stretching his neck out and sniffing the oxen Louis was driving—the last thing she needed was for him to get kicked on their first day. 

“He’s a good lad.” Louis nodded at the gelding. “I hope you don’t mind I looked him over a bit while you were gone. I’ve an eye for horseflesh; I would like to try and run a livery one day,” she admitted. “What are his bloodlines?”

“He’s the grandson of the Justin Morgan horse,” Harry said proudly, not one to comment on the outlandish idea of a woman running a livery. After all, it was just about as outlandish as a woman leading a caravan. “My father raised him, and a few others. He took to me, after my father passed.”

“I’ve heard of him.” Louis nodded, a soft smile spreading on her cheeks. “That stud produced some equally fine horses, it appears to me Lucky is one of them. I’m sorry to hear of your father’s passing—the Indian wars?” she assumed. 

Harry nodded. “He was a general, but he mostly just wanted to be home with his horses,” she shrugged. “I am sorry he never made it back to see the colts grow up.” 

Louis hummed. “As am I. It seems he and I would’ve been of kindred spirit.” 

The pair fell into a comfortable silence, and Harry gave Lucky his head a bit more since the gelding seemed happy to plod along with the train. The afternoon sun was beating down on them, and she was grateful for having the foresight to wear lighter clothing. 

“What do you plan to do? Where do you intend to settle?” Louis asked abruptly, breaking the silence, and Harry felt reality hit her like someone dumped cold water down the back of her dress. 

“Well, I’m not sure,” she admitted, “This has all been quite spontaneous.”

“You don’t say,” Louis winked, chuckling to herself. “Most families plan for months, or follow their kinfolk West. I must say you are a brave woman, to up and leave one morning by your lonesome.” 

Harry smiled softly. “I admit I have an impulsive streak,” she confirmed. “I have simply done what feels right up to this point, I suppose I will continue to do so. Settle where I am drawn to, and support myself with the means that are available.”

Louis hummed noncommittally. “Have you skills to market?” she questioned. 

“Well, I can cook,” Harry reminded from their conversation early in the day. It felt like years ago already. “And sew quite well. Nana taught me some remedies, I enjoy that. By no means am I a doctor, but I can bandage and tend wounds and she gave me the recipes for some poultices. My father educated me while he was alive, so I know some mathematics and biology and I read well. I could be a teacher.” 

Louis laughed quietly. “Well, you are simply the jack of all trades, Ms. Harriet!” she exclaimed fondly, before growing quiet as she thought a bit. “May I offer a trade?” she proposed hesitantly. 

“What trade?” Harry asked curiously. “And please don’t call me Harriet, only my mother does.”

“Harry, then,” Louis amended. “If you teach the children, I would be happy to accommodate you and let you share my wares for the journey. Reading is not a skill I ever gained, and I do believe it is an important one, especially since most of these families have given up everything to move and they will not be able to find education elsewhere.”

Harry felt a wide smile spread over her cheeks. Relief washed over her, and the thought of being voted off the train for freeloading and being left to fend for herself vanished. “I would be happy to, Louis. Thank you for your generosity, though I don’t feel it is a fair trade.” 

Louis shook her head. “It is more than fair. Teaching children to read is no small feat,” she laughed. 

Harry smiled. “They will be good practice for me, if I do indeed open a school,” she said kindly. “I would be happy to teach you as well, Louis, it is no trouble.” 

Louis blushed. “Lucas and Niall tried to teach me, but I fear I am hopeless. The letters jumble up in my eyes, I cannot seem to get them right,” she said, a hint of embarrassment and maybe regret in her voice.

Harry hummed. “Well, the offer stands if you wish to learn. I can handle the challenge.” She winked. 

As dusk began to fall, orders were passed back to make camp for the night. Harry dismounted Lucky and winced at the ache in her legs—she was unaccustomed to riding for such long distances. Grateful that Bobby made sure she knew how to care for her horse and her tack, she uncinched the saddle and slid the leather from her horse’s sweaty back as Louis unyoked the six oxen two at a time and guided them to the makeshift corral made of the wagons being set up by the other emigrants. Some men, clearly not as used to handling the beasts as Louis, were struggling to get the animals in line. One even broke away and began running for the hills. As Harry rubbed a dry cloth over Lucky and massaged the day away from his muscles, Louis appeared with a small knife, all of her oxen safely accounted for. 

“May I?” Louis asked, one hand on Lucky’s rump. Harry frowned but nodded, figuring she should trust Louis if they were meant to be traveling together. Louis used the blade to carefully shave a small HS on his rump, and Harry then realized all of the oxen were marked in a similar manner—Louis’ oxen had her initials shaved, some had stain applied to white spots, others had cloths attached to their tails. They were means of identifying who owned each animal. 

“Thank you,” Harry smiled, removing the bit from Lucky’s mouth, allowing him to graze freely among the other horses, mules, and cattle that the train had brought. 

Louis nodded. “The young ones are off collecting kindling, and Catharine is beginning supper. She insists on cooking, since she knows I am awful and she has some imaginary debt owed to me in her head. Help me pitch the tent?” she requested. 

Harry nodded and watched as Louis produced a bundle of posts and cloth from among their belongings in the wagon, following the shorter woman’s instruction as they erected the shelter. Elizabeth, Henry, and Esther all appeared then, their hands full of kindling and Arthur’s hands clinging to Esther’s skirt. Harry smiled fondly and beckoned the lad closer to her, settling him on her hip as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was then she was able to really take into consideration the scale of their operation. She counted about 30 wagons, not large by any means, but that meant they could take the trip faster and they wouldn’t be caught off by their lonesome if any unfriendly people tried to take advantage. Most seemed to be families; Elizabeth was off socializing with some other girls her age. Harry’s eyes landed on one particularly pregnant woman, and two others with infants in their arms. She was amazed at their strength; she could not imagine caring for such young ones on the difficult journey they were facing. 

Harry settled the small boy in her lap as Catharine’s young family sat around the small fire Louis coaxed to life. Elizabeth set a pan of beans and bacon over the fire, warming them and stirring the contents occasionally until she deemed it cooked and dished it out on the tin plates Esther had brought from the wagon. 

Harry ate gratefully, thanking Elizabeth and then turning to Louis to offer a quieter, sincere thank you for taking her in. While it was not the fare she was used to, anything tasted wonderful after such a long journey in the hot sun. 

Harry and Catharine journeyed to a small creek less than a quarter of a mile from the caravan to wash the dishes, forming a small train with the rest of the womenfolk as each family finished their meal. Harry eyed a small, smooth stick and pocketed it, deciding that scratching the alphabet in the dirt would be a good place to start. She had packed a few books, but the foundations were more important now. 

“I’m going to be teaching lessons each night; simple reading, writing, and arithmetic,” Harry informed a few of the women. “You’re welcome to send any children who wish to learn over to me in the evenings, following supper.” The ones within earshot allowed wide smiles to form on their faces, spreading the word down the line of women knelt on the creek bed, scouring their dishes of burnt food and filling the night with gentle chatter. 

Dishes done and packed away, Harry settled beside the tent, stick in hand. Louis was off doing something in the wagon, Arthur wobbled over to cling to Harry’s side, and Esther, Elizabeth, Henry, and the girl Elizabeth had been playing with all settled beside Harry. Harry learned the girl was called Emma, and she was the daughter of the heavily pregnant woman. 

“Alright,” Harry cleared her throat, deciding she may as well just start from the beginning. “Every night we will do a lesson, and then if none of us are too tired after our lessons, I will be happy to read aloud from some books, okay? We can have story time before bed. Now, do any of you know the alphabet?”

She was greeted with blank stares from most. Elizabeth nodded her confirmation, but it wasn’t enthusiastic. 

“That’s alright, we can start there,” Harry said kindly. “Now, the alphabet makes up every word you could ever think of, so it is very important to learn. If you know the alphabet, you can guess pretty well how a word might be spelled. Let’s learn the first five letters this evening, shall we?”

Harry carefully drew neat letters in the dirt, large enough for all of the children to see. Capital and lowercase a, b, c, d, and e. 

“Alright. Now I know that it might be confusing, since they look quite different, but this one,” Harry indicated the capital A, “is the same letter as this one.” she indicated the smaller. “They are both A. You only use the big one if it is the beginning of a sentence, or if it is the first letter of an important word, like someone’s name. Can anyone guess some words that might start with ‘A’, based on how it sounds?”

“Angel?” Esther suggested shyly. 

“Yes, very good Esther!” Harry praised, writing Angel in the sand beside the A and a. “Apple and Anna and Arthur both start with ‘A’ as well.” They went through the rest of the five letters, and before long there were words in the sand to accompany them. _Believe_ , _circle_ , _dog_ , _eat, Esther,_ and _Elizabeth_ were soon scrawled in the dirt as well, though “c” had given them some trouble with all of it’s different sounds. “Henry, your name starts with H, and so does mine.” Harry smiled softly, since he seemed rather left out of his siblings marveling over their names in the dirt. “We will be learning H very soon.” 

Harry smiled and set her stick down. “I think that’s enough for one lesson, you all did very well.” She praised. “I think we had all better rest for our journey tomorrow. Perhaps we can do a small lesson when we eat lunch tomorrow,” she suggested. 

The children all hummed their agreement, stifling yawns though their eyes were bright with the anticipation of learning more. Harry looked down and found Arthur had already fallen asleep in her lap, so she carefully cradled him, stood, and migrated to Catharine’s tent, passing him off to the grateful mother. Louis was already inside her own tent, tucked under a well-loved quilt with no pillows or cots in sight. Harry kept her reservations about sleeping on the ground to herself, and carefully began settling down near the woman. She hadn’t thought to bring blankets and was feeling very foolish now. 

“Oh, Harry,” Louis stirred with a sleepy hum, blinking away the half-sleep she had been fighting. “Harry, there is a quilt for you by the entrance,” she offered with a sleepy smile, and Harry felt her heart grow warm. 

“Thank you, Louis,” Harry said softly, bending to pick up the equally worn quilt. Harry felt exhaustion wash over her, and found she was too tired to worry about not sleeping in a bed for the first time in her life. She hardly registered the rustle of cloth as she tucked herself into the quilt, falling asleep to Louis’ steady breaths.

Harry woke to the sounds of camp life just before sunrise. Louis had already been gone a while by the looks of it, so Harry gathered up the quilts, shook out the dust, and emerged to tuck them into the wagon. Judging by the presence of a third of their oxen at the yoke, she assumed her newfound companion was gathering the rest of the team. She wandered, stiff from the night on the unforgiving earth, to the center where all of the livestock were mingling and whistled sharply. At once, Lucky’s head shot straight up from the middle of the mismatched herd, his bright white star the only thing she could see for certain in the dim morning light. He quickly started weaving his way through the other livestock before stopping in front of her, nosing her pockets to search for any treats. 

“Rude,” Harry laughed. “Just straight for the sweets, no good morning?” she asked, scratching the gelding’s ears. “Afraid you’re out of luck, sir. Sweets are going to be few and far between now. Come on, then. Let’s get back, we’ll be moving out soon.” 

She turned and started wandering back to their wagon, not even bothering to put a halter or lead on Lucky. The stocky bay plodded along obediently, grazing the stubby grass beside the wagon as Harry swung the saddle and pad over his back, cinching him up and checking all four of his feet for stones that could cause him to go lame. Satisfied with his condition, she let him be and went to see if Catharine needed help with breakfast. The two women warmed up leftovers from the night before and made sure their tents were packed away securely while the little ones ate, eyes bleary. Louis arrived with the rest of the oxen, and Henry stood to help guide them into line and hitch the yokes. 

Meal finished, Harry straightened and brushed the dirt from her skirts before wandering to the wagon with the spare plate she had put Louis’ ration on, smiling softly at the shorter woman. 

“Breakfast?” she offered quietly, holding the plate out. 

“Thanks, lass,” Louis murmured, voice raspy with the early hour. She accepted the plate and seemed to force the food down reluctantly. “Never have an appetite this early, but it would be foolish to skip,” she admitted, using a knuckle to rub the sleep from her eye. “We’ll be moving out soon, as soon as the sun breaks,” Louis informed, chewing and swallowing the last bite of the meal. “You’re welcome to ride up here on the bench with me, learn to drive if you’re interested.”  
  
Harry felt a wide smile form as she took Louis plate back so she could help Catharine wash the set of dishes. “I’d like that,” she confirmed, biting her lower lip. “I’d like that a lot. Can’t go around feeling useless, can I?” she joked. 

Louis just winked as Harry turned to catch up to the rest of the women at the stream. There was less talk this time, the early hour and the pressure to get on the move at first light keeping everyone more or less quiet. It was only then that Harry noticed there were children joining them with empty pails and filling them up with water from the creek—collecting provisions for the road. There was no guarantee they would find water through the day, or even the next few days. Harry was heading back to find Louis and ask if they had pails to gather their own when the stocky woman arrived, lugging four large pails. 

“You’ll catch on, lass, no need to say you’re sorry,” Louis said kindly as Harry stammered out an apology for not being around to help. “Here,” she passed off two of the pails, “We’ll need to ration it. The animals need it as much as us. Don’t want your Lucky falling ill.” 

Harry shook her head rapidly, dreading the idea as she obediently filled her two pails. “No. I’ll come water him here before we leave, so he can drink his fill from here first.” She confirmed, grunting quietly as she lifted the pails. They were heavier than she anticipated, and far heavier than she was accustomed to carrying, but she said nothing. All the other women could carry the weight, and some of the children. She would not stand aside and let everyone else do the hard work. Arms shaking slightly, Harry set them on the ground and adjusted her grip on the pails before starting off again, hurrying to keep up with Louis despite having longer legs. Triumphant, and with a slight flush on her cheeks from exertion, she made it to the wagon and promptly knocked one of her pails over, spilling the water into the dry earth. 

“It’s alright lass,” Louis soothed, seeing tears prick at Harry’s eyes. She settled one of the pails on a hook on the wagon, and checked the keg kept in the wagon and topped it off with the other two pails. “Just refill it while you go water your Lucky, hmm? No use getting upset over it, it’s only water.” 

Harry blinked back the tears, refusing to let them spill and feeling somewhat silly about it. She was grateful to Louis for her logic—all she had to do was refill it, it wasn’t the end of the world. “You’re right,” she agreed, “I’m sorry, I’m being silly.” She forced a smile, taking Lucky’s lead. 

She hurt in ways she never knew she could after only a day’s journey, and she found her stomach struggling to take to the new, smaller rations. She was missing Nana and Bobby, and all the rest, and overall was just not sure if she was doing the right thing. Now on top of that, she felt like a weakling, incapable of even carrying water a quarter mile. 

By the time Harry had sorted through all of those feelings and identified them as the real source of her would-be tears, she and Lucky had reached the creek. The chocolate colored gelding lowered his head and drank from the smooth running water, and Harry lowered her pail to collect a bucketful while he did so. She was determined not to spill it this time—after all, she was able to carry two before, and now she only had one. This should be easier. Lucky followed obediently, plodding along as his master lugged the heavy pail back, depositing it triumphantly at the wagon. Louis simply offered a wry grin and accepted the pail, adding it to the water keg and nearly over filling it. 

“Thanks, lass,” she said simply, hopping out of the wagon and walking to the front to clamber into the driving seat. 

“Move out!” Louis called behind her, looking back over her shoulder to make sure the rest of the caravan was settled and good to go. Harry climbed carefully into her spot beside Louis, adjusting her skirts and settling into the hard bench. Satisfied that their group was ready, Louis gave the stiff leather reins a shake and a sharp call of “Get up!” to the oxen. Similar calls were going up behind them, but Louis’ team was the first one to step right into gear, with Lucky tied loosely to the wagon behind them. 

Louis guided the oxen with calls of “gee” and “haw” before she was satisfied with their position against the trail and gave them their heads with only a gentle correction if one of them began to stray. “ _Gee_ is to the right” she explained to Harry. “ _Haw_ to the left. They know _get up_ is to go, _whoa_ to stop, and they can back too. They aren’t as quick as horses or mules, but they’re stronger and hardier. I’d almost always pick a horse, ‘cept for pulling a wagon.” 

Harry nodded, considering Louis words and regarding them with fascination. “I had no idea they were so intelligent. I knew horses could learn verbal commands, but cattle just strike me as… simple.” She shrugged, smoothing her skirts out of force of habit. 

“You and most people,” Louis confirmed. “But they’re just as smart as any animal here on God’s green earth.” She winked. “I’ve learned to not judge a book by its cover.”

It only took a week or so for Harry to truly get into the routine of life on the road. They woke before dawn each morning, ate a small meal, packed up the tent and rounded up the livestock, all before setting out. On a good day, they could make it twenty miles. There hadn’t been many bad ones, but Louis confessed that on a previous trip there had been a solid week where they hadn’t made it more than five miles a day. Soon, Louis promised, animals would start going lame, and wheels would start breaking, and people would start going hungry. The beginning was the easiest, and the end was doable only because the hope of finishing the trek fueled everyone. It was the middle bit, with the tedious marching hundreds of miles from any settlement, that people succumbed to the journey. 

Harry kept up with her children’s lessons, teaching a group of ten to twelve children a night. They could all recite and write the alphabet by heart now; even little Arthur could be prompted to say a few letters. They were learning to spell real words now, and it kept the spirits of the whole caravan high, either from learning, seeing the children’s excitement to learn, or just having the young ones out of the way for a while.

Her relationship with Louis, too, was becoming stronger. The two had become fast friends, and orbited each other without knowing. They worked in tandem, setting up and breaking down their tent and team together, hardly needing to talk. They chatted constantly, sharing stories of their childhood or anecdotes from their traveling companions, pointing out new birds and flowers that they saw. 

Now, a month into the voyage, the gentle sway of Lucky’s steady walk had lulled Harry into a daydream. Her legs had grown accustomed to long days of walking and riding, her hands were callused and arms strong from the chaff of reins and lugging water and other goods. She let her mind wander and wished for candies and hot baths as she gazed skyward, her trusty gelding keeping pace with the oxen Louis was guiding. 

“There’s a storm coming,” Louis broke the silence, nodding at the horizon at the nasty looking, greenish wall of clouds moving to block the sun. 

“Is it going to hit us?” Harry asked, concerned as she came back to reality. The clouds looked capable of doing some real damage, and while they could use the water, she wasn’t keen on lightning. 

Louis studied the clouds a moment, then seemed to look around as if watching the wind around them. “No, I don’t think so. We may well get rain, but the worst will miss us. It’s moving across the horizon, not our direction. We’ll circle up now just in case—a storm that size is no friend of ours today.” She didn’t sound as confident in her prediction as Harry might hope.

Harry nodded, tugging on Lucky’s reins to slow his pace as Louis signaled the train to halt and circle up. She went through the motions that she was now able to do without thinking—untack Lucky, store his things in the wagon, rub him down and water him, help Louis with the oxen and tent and the other families with whatever they may need—sometimes nothing, sometimes someone to hold a crying baby, sometimes convincing a stubborn mule to move. Most of the animals seemed to have taken to Harry, and those that hadn’t were partial to Louis. 

Today, however, everything was going smoothly as the families pitched tents and made sure that anything the water might get was wrapped well in oiled cloths. People kept throwing nervous glances at the wall of clouds, and Harry wondered if perhaps it was growing closer, if Louis had been wrong and they were going to have to weather through the brunt of it. 

Harry forced a deep breath into her lungs, tasting the promise of rain on her tongue as she pressed her forehead against Lucky’s soft neck and tried to force the panic from her mind. She felt the first drops start to fall and scratched his ear. 

“Don’t you go anywhere,” she ordered softly, kissing his cheek and backing away towards the tent. “And keep the rest of them in line, hmm?” She nodded towards the herd of oxen, mules, and dairy cows that were contained in a rough corral of wagons and ropes. As more drops began to fall, Harry hurried into the tent where Louis was waiting with their respective quilts.

“This will set us back.” Louis sighed. “Mud is the enemy of every wagon. We’ll be trying to dig out for most of tomorrow.” She shook her head and rested it in her hands, shoulders sagging with exhaustion and dread. 

“Louis, it’s all part of the journey. You can’t control the weather, no matter how much you would like to,” Harry reminded gently, settling next to her companion and spreading her skirts around her out of graceful habit. “We made good time these first days, we’ll make it up soon,” she hummed, reaching up to gently remove the pin that kept Louis’ brown hair out of her face, letting it cascade to her shoulders. “Just relax, hm? We can have a quiet night. I’ll read to you, if you like,” Harry offered, a reassuring smile on her lips. 

Louis bright eyes emerged from behind her calloused hands as she scrubbed over her face, searching Harry’s face for any signs of distrust or white lies. “You’re a lovely woman, Miss Harriet,” she rasped with a sigh, listening as fat drops of water began hitting the canvas above them. “I’m sorry about my sour mood. This is the last time I’m making this trip and I am ready for it to be done with.”

Harry just nodded, carding a hand through Louis’ fine hair without a thought, hazel eyes cataloging each fine wrinkle around Louis tired eyes, down her small nose to her thin upper lip. “You’re safely leading a team of seventeen families across the territories,” she reminded. “It’s okay to have bad days. I’m impressed that you’re only now becoming weary,” Harry confessed. “I’ve had more bad days than I can count, and I hardly have any responsibilities. You’re carrying everyone’s weight, alongside yours.”

Louis’ leaned in imperceptibly, worrying her lower lip between her teeth out of nervous habit. “You’ve got a bit of grass in your hair,” she informed with a slight smile, reaching up to tug it from Harry’s chocolate curls. 

Harry blushed and ducked her head shyly. “Thanks. I can’t imagine my mother seeing me like this—grass in my hair, calluses on my hands, dirty dresses. I’ve patched all the holes, at least,” she joked shyly. “I never thought I would do something like this.”

Louis was quiet for a long moment, twirling one of Harry’s stray curls between her fingers. “Do you regret coming?” she asked, having to speak slightly louder than their previous hushed murmurs as the rain started falling harder around them. “Do you miss home?”

Harry considered the question, goosebumps rising on her arms from Louis’ touch. “I miss some people. I miss warm baths and the bustle of the city. But I don’t regret it, not for a minute. I knew if I stayed there I was doomed to a loveless marriage, good only as a broodmare for some wealthy, fat, old man. I was tired of my mother’s constant nagging—I don’t think it would take two hands to count the number of times she said a kind word to me. And I never met a man I thought that I would be happy to marry.” She shrugged, eyes cast downward at the stitching of her skirts. “I’ve never been more free and happy than waking up next to you, breathing in air that so few people have ever breathed, and wondering where I will lay my head tonight, what new mountain or valley or desert we will cross today. What new flower or bird I will see. I can’t thank you enough, Louis, for taking me on this adventure.” She lifted her eyes, meeting Louis’ blue ones cautiously, a shy smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“It has been my pleasure, Harry,” Louis whispered, a slight blush sitting underneath the freckles that dotted her cheeks. “I would gladly adventure with you any day.” 

[ _**annies song - john denver** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/4J0DbyODwZJcmIAiTSJfMF?si=7a5vu9okRVa8P590ZalorA)

A sudden clap of thunder scared a sharp yelp out of Harry, and the gangly girl nearly leapt out of her skin in surprise. She found herself nearly in Louis’ lap, who just laughed and wrapped her arms around her companion’s slim waist. 

“It’s only thunder, dove,” she murmured, thumb rubbing small, soothing circles on Harry’s hip as she got her racing heart under control. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry whispered awkwardly, goosebumps rising again as she could feel soft puffs of Louis’ breath against her jaw. She moved to get off of the smaller woman, but Louis only tightened her grip. 

“I don’t mind. I want you to feel safe,” Louis murmured, causing a violent blush to sit on Harry’s cheeks, just below where the woman’s long lashes brushed her cheek. Slowly, Louis leaned in impossibly closer, until their noses were nearly touching. Both girls hardly dared to breathe, until Louis surged forward to close the distance between them and pressed her lips against Harry’s full ones. 

Harry gasped, frozen in place for a moment before cautiously kissing back. A moment later, she came to her senses and broke away, scrambling back out of Louis’ lap and onto the cool earth. “We shouldn’t. It’s not proper,” she breathed, a hand pressed to her mouth as she tried to even out her breathing.

Louis only raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to stop?” she asked, tone carrying the barest hint of smugness. “There is no one here to tell what is proper and what is not,” she reasoned, carefully moving closer to Harry once more. “You said yourself you never met a man you would be happy with. Why do you think that is?”

Harry just shook her head, hand still pressed to her lips. “It isn’t right. People will talk. I’m not meant-”

“Fuck them,” Louis said simply, startling Harry out of her spiraling thoughts. She heard the men swear sometimes, but never so blatantly, and rarely such a strong phrase. “Who cares what they think? We can be happy together. You’re the most lovely creature I’ve ever seen, Harriet, and I’ll be damned if I don’t at least fight to keep you. We can settle far from anyone else, they’ll have no cause to talk. Tell them we’re sisters, we’re widows, whatever will keep them satisfied. I only want you, Harry.”

Harry lowered her shaking hands to her skirts and dried her sweaty palms on them. “It’s not natural,” she whispered, pulling at a loose string and keeping her eyes averted. “It’s not meant to be this way.”

“Nothing that feels as right as this can be unnatural,” Louis murmured gently, tipping Harry’s chin up with one finger and watching the uncertainty disappear from her green eyes. 

Another clap of thunder startled a whimper from Harry, and Louis gently manhandled the taller girl, wrapping a quilt around her and curling around her protectively. “Hush, dove. I promise it won’t hurt you.” she said gently, letting Harry’s unruly curls loose and combing through them soothingly, before braiding it into a thick plait and resting it over Harry’s shoulder. She wrapped her arms back around Harry’s waist and began humming quietly, hoping to drown out the din of the storm slightly. 

“My father used to sing for me, when I was very little. I always hated storms,” Harry confessed quietly, playing with Louis fingers’ as she tried to take deep, even breaths. “He told me that as long as there is a song in your heart, nothing bad can happen.” 

“Smart man.” Louis smiled softly. “I think he may be right. What did he sing?” 

Harry flinched as more thunder sounded, turning around in Louis’ arms without a second thought and tucking her face into the crook of Louis neck. “Mostly the old military ones,” she whispered, eyes squeezed shut. “Was all he knew. A few hymns, maybe.” 

Louis kissed the top of Harry’s head gently, stroking down her back in an even rhythm. “I’m afraid I don’t know many hymns,” she chuckled quietly. “But my mother did teach me a few songs.” She gently began humming, and Harry thought she recognized the tune, if not the words. 

“ _My days have been so wondrous free. The little birds that fly with careless ease from tree to tree, were but as blessed as I_ ,” Louis sang softly. Her voice was quiet and raspy, but with a quality that lulled Harry into a sense of security quicker than she anticipated.

As Louis sang, Harry considered her words. She truly never found herself desiring the company of a man, even finding her eyes lingering a bit too long on the soft lips and narrow waists of her female companions back home. But she never would have acted on that in the city, and not just because of the societal repercussions- she never truly wanted anyone before Louis. Louis, with her men’s clothes and fiery attitude; her bright blue eyes and her stern brows that only softened for children, or horses, or Harry. She knew, deep down, that Louis was right: nothing that feels this way could be unnatural. 

Harry didn’t remember dozing off, only the warmth and comfort that she felt from being wrapped in Louis arms with a quiet song in her ear. Louis kept humming, drawing soft patterns on Harry’s back, until the storm had passed. Carefully, Louis extracted herself from behind Harry and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, stepping out of the tent to survey the land. The sky was beginning to make an appearance as the wall of clouds moved past them, and the caravan leader used the light of the setting sun to survey the damage. 

Thankfully, the storm had only brought heavy rain and some wind, rather than the hail or even tornados that Louis knew could happen in this part of the territories. No wheels were broken, the canvas of a few wagons had only a few small tears, and a quick count revealed all of the animals present, albeit soggy and irritable. Lucky was at the head of them all, much to Louis relief—she could not imagine Harry without Lucky, or Lucky without Harry, for that matter. 

Despite their good fortune, Louis found herself sinking into the ground with every new step. They would be delayed significantly by this—until the mud began to dry, any progress would be slow and tedious. She sighed heavily, before squaring her shoulders so as not to dishearten the other families emerging from their tents. 

Harry came up behind Louis, lifting her skirts slightly to keep them from being muddied too badly. 

“Hi,” she murmured, slipping her hand into Louis’, “All is well?” 

“‘Lo, dove.” Louis smiled softly. “‘s alright. Don’t worry your pretty head.” She winked, but Harry could read the exhaustion in her companion’s blue eyes. 

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Lou,” Harry whispered, squeezing her hand. 

“You’re too smart for your own good, Ms. Harriet,” Louis chuckled softly, reaching up to tuck a stray curl back into Harry’s braid. She sighed heavily. “I’m just tired, ya know? Ready to be done. I’m not cut out for this anymore.”

“Hey, none of that,” Harry murmured, glancing around hesitantly before ducking down shyly to press a gentle kiss to Louis’ cheek, heart jack-rabbiting in her chest before settling. “You’re doing amazing, hm? Come back inside—there’s nothing to be done now. Everyone is getting ready for a small supper and I’ve cancelled lessons for tonight—I never read to you earlier. You’ll feel better in the morning, sweet.” 

Louis felt tears brim in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to clear them. “Thanks, dove,” she whispered hoarsely, allowing Harry to lead her back to the tent. Harry ushered Louis into the tent, whirling away as well as she could through the thick mud. She climbed into the wagon and dug through her cases, producing her favorite book, _Jane Eyre_ , a change of clothes for them both, and two thick quilts. Pursing her lips, she eyed their stores of food, a small grin playing her lips. She knew just the thing to help Louis. She returned to the tent, offering Louis the armful of clothes and only blushing a bit when the woman immediately began undressing. 

“Get warm, hm? I’m going to fix some supper.” Harry smiled, turning to leave the tent. Louis caught her hand and tugged her back, kissing away the gasp that emerged from Harry’s lips and laughing quietly at the bright blush that colored the taller girl’s cheeks. “I’m not sure I’m going to get used to making you do that,” she teased. “I’ve never seen someone turn such a shade, Ms. Tomato.” 

“You’re insufferable and I hate you,” Harry muttered, hiding her burning face in Louis neck, though she couldn’t suppress the smile that broke free from her lips.  
  


“Maybe,” Louis agreed, squeezing Harry’s waist with a wink. “Go on then, I’ll stop teasing you.” 

Harry just blushed a bit more and shyly kissed Louis’ jaw in return, whisking out of the tent before Louis could catch her again. Once in the clear, she began collecting the things she would need- remains of a loaf of bread that was going stale, some dried peaches, brown sugar, and eggs. She went and sweet-talked some milk from the Fredericks family, though she had charmed just about everyone on the wagon and they were happy to share as one of the families who had brought along a dairy cow. 

Returning to their camp area, Harry cut the bread coarsely and mixed everything together- the peaches softened slightly in the liquid, and she settled the pan over the small fire she coaxed to life. 

Louis was growing impatient, ready to exit the tent and find Harry when the woman stepped through the door holding two steaming plates of sweet smelling food. Immediately, Louis’ mouth began to water. 

“You are some sort of angel sent to me, I know it. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I thank God every day for it.” 

Harry laughed, settling on the ground beside Louis and passing her a plate and spoon. “It’s only bread pudding, Lou. Just thought you deserved a small pick-me-up.”

“This alone could lift my spirits for a year,” Louis professed dramatically, chewing on a peach with a quiet moan. “I can almost pretend it’s a fresh peach. Tastes as sweet as you.” She winked.

Harry giggled quietly, only turning a light shade of pink this time as she enjoyed her own portion. “You’re ridiculous,” she murmured, shaking her head. 

“Really, Harriet. Thank you.” Louis smiled, reaching over to squeeze the girl’s thigh. “It was lovely of you.” 

“You deserve lovely.” Harry shrugged off the compliment, offering Louis her last slice of peach. The older woman hesitated before accepting it, letting the taste coat her mouth before leaning forward to kiss Harry, keeping it just as chaste as the previous ones, letting Harry come around to the idea of their continuing physical intimacy. 

“Are you ok? With… this, I mean.” Louis leaned back and gestured between them, searching Harry’s eyes for any signs of hesitation. 

Harry looked down, fiddling with the hem of the quilt she had pulled into her lap. “Yes,” she confessed quietly, chewing her lip and looking up to meet Louis eyes. “It’s… different, getting used to it. But I don’t think it’s because of who you are, just because I’ve never really been kissed or had anyone pursue me. You make me feel safe, Louis. I could never second guess anything with you.”

It was Louis turn to blush this time, and she leaned forward to kiss Harry again. “What did I do to deserve such a lovely creature?” she wondered, a smitten smile playing at her lips. 

“Hush,” Harry laughed shyly, reaching for the book she had tucked among the quilts and opening it to the first page. “You’re a shameless flirt,” she said matter of factly as her companion just shrugged and settled down onto the quilt, resting her head in Harry’s lap. The dark haired woman just smiled and began reading aloud, carding through Louis’ hair with her free hand until gradually, Louis drifted off. Harry set the book aside and wasn’t far behind.

It took them two days to dig out of where they had become entrenched in the mud, and another day after that before they were truly on the road due to broken spokes, torn wagon cloths, and fevered babies. At one point, Harry had to hitch Lucky to someone else’s wagon when one of their mules came up lame. To her knowledge the gelding had never been trained to pull, but he gave it his best try and hardly fussed at all, though Harry may have been slipping him small slivers of dried apple to placate him. 

Louis didn’t lose the knot between her eyebrows until they reached dry ground and were back en route, and even then her shoulders retained the tension they held. They held steady for a week by Harry’s count, making up the time they lost with no further incident. 

“Lou, I’ll drive a while. Why don’t you ride Lucky?” Harry offered mid-afternoon from where she was walking beside the wagon with the children. Lucky was tacked up but had been tied to the wagon all day. Harry tried to save his strength, but now was around the time he started getting bored of following the wagon and started trying to untie himself and roam a bit. She knew Louis must miss riding; the older woman frequently reminisced of the colts she would break for her brother and some of the surrounding neighbors. 

Louis glanced down at Harry, chewing the inside of her cheek. “You’re sure?” she asked hesitantly, though her blue eyes were alight with hope. 

“‘Course. I’m not going to learn without practice, and I’m sure Lucky is starting to get into trouble back there,” she glanced over her shoulder at the horse, who immediately dropped the rope that was in his mouth and gave her an innocent look. 

Louis looked like she might protest, so Harry simply climbed onto the bench of the moving wagon with the practiced ease of someone who had been travelling much longer than she had and took the reins pointedly. 

“You’re a pistol, Harriet,” Louis snorted, hopping down without further protest and making her way back to Lucky. She untied him, and swung easily into the saddle. Lucky pranced and fussed for a moment, hardly having been ridden by anyone but Harry since he had been trained. It only took a few quiet words and Louis relaxing into the saddle before he settled and picked up an easy pace beside the oxen, glancing up at Harry with one big, brown eye as if to make sure this was alright with her. 

“Good lad.” Harry laughed, winking at Louis. “Take him for a run, if you like. I’m sure he’d like a chance to stretch his legs.”

“Naw, he needs to save his strength,” Louis reasoned. “Another day, maybe.” She combed her fingers through Lucky’s black mane, and Harry watched the stress drain from her partner’s body. 

“You were made to ride, weren’t you?” Harry laughed softly, directing a quiet ‘haw’ towards the oxen and adjusting their course as they drifted. “I’ve never seen you look so at ease.” 

Louis smiled. “Suppose so.” She shrugged modestly, turning her face to the hot sun with a content sigh. “We should be nearly a quarter of the way now. Been close to six weeks, and we’ve made good time. As long as we don’t get too caught up, we should make it by the time winter sets in.”

Harry shuddered at the thought- she hated winters back home, never truly able to get warm, and she couldn’t imagine trying to travel through it. 

“My thoughts exactly.” Louis laughed, opening her mouth to continue before she was cut off by a blood curdling scream, and further shouting. 

“Whoa.” Harry stopped the oxen abruptly, hurdling off of the bench as Louis wheeled Lucky around and ran him down the line of wagons where a crowd was gathering. Lucky stopped on a dime and Louis threw herself out of the saddle.  
  
“What’s going on?” the woman demanded, breaking apart the circle where one of the young teens, Ellen, was clutching her ankle. 

“A snake bit me,” she cried shakily. “I was trying to find kindling like ma said, and it bit me and slithered off.” 

“Someone get her a drink,” Louis said sharply. “And I need a cloth. What did it look like, darling, did you see?” 

The girl only shook her head. “No. I only heard a sound, like a babies rattle.” She whimpered.

Harry, arriving just then, quickly tore a strip from the hem of her skirt and tied it around the girls calf tightly, meeting Louis’ gaze with a tense jaw. 

Louis nodded once, sharply, and accepted the bottle of whiskey that someone had produced, mostly empty. “Drink up, love. This will hurt, I need you to be brave, ok?” She squeezed the teen’s hand, who only whimpered and nodded. Harry gritted her teeth and cut another strip from her hem, twisting it and balling it up. The teen drank the whiskey obediently, coughing on the sharp liquid. 

Harry knelt behind her, gently pressing the new strip of cloth into the girls mouth. “Bite down, darling, better this than your tongue. I’ve got you, alright? Don’t fight passing out if you need to, ok?” Harry hugged the girl tightly from behind as Louis doused her knife in the rest of the whiskey. “Deep breaths through your nose, ready?” Harry coached her through as Louis cut deep into the two puncture wounds. Harry squeezed tighter as the girl screamed and thrashed for a moment before going limp as Louis pressed her lips to the cuts and sucked, drawing what poison out she could. She spat the mouthful out, careful not to swallow before she sucked again. She did several more mouthfuls before she rinsed the wound, then her mouth, with water she was passed from one of the bystanders. 

“Best take the tourniquet off, before the leg dies. We’ve done what we can. Maybe a poultice, but all she can do now is rest,” Harry murmured, gently removing the gag from the girls mouth. Louis nodded, untying the tourniquet. 

“Get her into her wagon. Gentle with her, now,” Louis ordered softly, standing and letting her father and two older brothers lift her gently into the wagon. Harry followed, gently cleaning the bleeding wound and bandaging it. 

“When she wakes, make sure she drinks plenty of water. Keep cool cloths on her to stave the fever. She must rest. I’ll try to find a recipe for a poultice, but we must keep the wound clean most of all. Find me if the leg continues to swell or if she doesn’t wake,.” Harry directed the girl’s mother, who was still clutching her hands to her chest but nodded along with Harry’s instructions. 

“Keep everyone within ten yards of the wagon train,” Louis called out to the crowd, “especially the little ones. Stay away from the long grass if you can. If you hear rattles, back away- they won’t strike unless they’re provoked.” 

There were agreeable murmurs spreading through the train, and Louis glanced up at the sky. “We’ve a few hours of daylight left. We keep moving,” she commanded, meeting Harry’s gaze where the girl was cleaning her hands of blood and picking up the scraps of cloth she had torn from her skirt. Harry nodded once, taking Lucky’s reins and guiding him forward from where he had waited patiently following Louis’ hasty dismount. 

“You’ve a good head under pressure, Ms. Harriet.” Louis sighed tiredly, falling in step with Harry and Lucky as they made their way to the front of the wagon again.

“You’re the one that acted so quickly,” Harry argued softly, though there was no heat behind her words. “If she lives, she has you to thank for your life.” 

“That’s a big if,” Louis murmured, hesitating as Harry handed her Lucky’s reins. 

“A big if, yes. But she still has a chance,” Harry said, digging in her trunk for the small book she had copied all of Nana’s remedies into, scanning it quickly for something to help snake bites, or wounds in general. She chewed at her bottom lip as Louis swung into the saddle, debating between which of a few options to use. She went with one she knew they had ingredients for, and sent Elizabeth to track everything down and mix the paste.

“Get up.” Harry climbed on the bench and called to the team sharply, keeping the book nearby in case she needed to consult it again. The oxen stepped into motion, and the wagon creaked with the pressure. Louis gently guided Lucky forward, staying level with Harry.

“What are your plans, after this?” Harry asked after a few minutes of silence. “After we reach the end of our journey?”

Louis chewed the inside of her cheek. “I’ll go to Niall’s, first thing,” she said. “That was what I promised her and Lucas, that I would help at the hotel if needed. But I think I may go further north, or back east a touch. Somewhere not too settled yet. Get my own land, start raising horses and cattle.” She shrugged. “At least, that’s what I had planned, when it was just me.” She chanced a glance over at Harry, who was blushing at the implication that Louis would shift her plans in order for them to stay together. 

“I would follow you anywhere, Louis. That sounds lovely to me,” Harry said quietly, meeting Louis eyes. “I just want to be with you.” She offered a shy smile.

Louis couldn’t help the grin that split her face in two. “I’ll build you a house, wherever we decide to settle. A solid house, with big rooms and space for a garden and a barn for Lucky and the rest. We can farm the land that we don’t use as pasture. It will be perfect, Harry.” 

Harry’s smile widened to match Louis’, her mind wandering to their hypothetical future. She could sew little curtains for the windows, and have a wood stove to cook over, and maybe even one in the bedroom so the winter nights wouldn’t be so cold. She imagined springtime, with the cows and horses having babies and watching them grow up through the year, and a big garden to tend to. It sounded like a dream, too perfect to be possible, and yet she knew Louis would make it happen. 

Together, they could make it happen.

Ellen, the girl who was bitten by the snake, didn’t make it through the night. They buried her near the trail and had a small service that morning, and were on the road an hour later. The journey did not allow for time to be stagnant; the family did their grieving on the trail. Harry shed a few tears, but didn’t let Louis see- Ellen had joined her lessons at the beginning and was one of her brightest pupils.

They reached Fort Laramie on a Sunday, almost exactly two months after they left Missouri. Some semblance of civilization was a welcome sight, and Harry had put on one of her nicer dresses, a floral print. As much as she loved this adventure, she missed dressing pretty and going into town some days. Even more than being glad to see civilization, Harry was relieved at the prospect of replenishing their supplies: a diet of mostly hardtack was not something she enjoyed. 

Fresh animals was also something she and Louis had discussed- Louis insisted they would do fine through the rest of the journey, but this was a dry summer and their team was withering. The money Harry had hidden away was burning a hole in her pocket, so she considered purchasing two more oxen to add to the team if Louis wouldn’t part with any of their current animals. She also secretly wanted a dairy cow, but she wasn’t sure if the middle of their journey was the time to buy one, let alone if the trading post would have one. 

“Don’t wander far, dove,” Louis warned softly, unhitching their team and leading them to the corrals for the night. “Been far too long since some of these men have seen beauty like yours.” 

Harry just waved her off, unsaddling Lucky and rubbing him down as she made sure to do every night. “I can handle myself, Louis. Don’t you worry about me.”

“Not you I’m worried about,” Louis joked, a watchful eye scanning over the dwindling numbers of their caravan. They had fared ok on the journey so far, but they had lost three to cholera and one family had lost half their team, a son, and a good portion of their belongings fording a river. 

Harry still shuddered thinking about that day: recent rains had caused the current to swell such that even the narrowest portion was dangerous to cross. No rafts were found, so the teams went, one by one, through the water. Harry and Louis went first, Louis on the driver’s seat of the wagon, Harry swimming ahead on Lucky. The water went well over her legs and soaked her gown, but she paid no mind. Lucky, bless him, took it all in stride, though she wasn’t sure he had ever had to truly swim before. Louis, slightly behind her and upstream, gave a startled shout as a sudden undercurrent swept her from the wagon. 

Harry swore and turned Lucky, watching as Louis struggled to cling to the wheel of the wagon, her head getting pulled under the muddy water. She urged Lucky back, grabbing hold of Louis’ arm just in time before the woman was swept downstream. She hoisted Louis onto Lucky behind her, breathless with adrenaline. 

“Thanks, dove,” Louis said, breathlessly, as Harry started Lucky back to the opposite bank. Louis reached out and grabbed the lead of the now panicking oxen, urging them forward to follow Lucky. If the rest of the caravan saw the desperate kiss that Louis and Harry shared when they reached the safety of dry land, they didn’t comment. Harry wound up having to swim Louis back across three more times to encourage stubborn teams to cross. The ordeal took all day, and they wound up camping right there on the opposite bank, everyone too exhausted to continue much further. They never recovered the Anderson boy’s body, so a small marker was erected there the next morning. 

Harry climbed into the back of the wagon, unlatching her suitcase and finding the skirts with the money sewn in. Carefully, she undid the stitches and counted out the money. She smiled softly to herself; frugal spending of her pocket money throughout her life gave her a savings of nearly $200. This would help significantly, she knew half the reason Louis didn’t want to add to the team was that she either didn’t have or didn’t want to spend the money. 

“I’m going to have a look around,” Harry informed her partner, stepping out of the wagon. “I’ve the list of supplies we need, I’ll take care of it. You rest and set up camp, get the rest of them settled, hm?” She glanced around before leaning to press a chaste kiss to Louis dirty cheek. 

“Are you sure?” Louis asked. “The-”

“I’m sure, Lou. I’ve watched Nana barter with men since I was young,” Harry teased. “Rest.”

She whisked off with a twirl of her full skirts, heading first towards the trading post with her list of supplies. They needed to restore their flour, sugar, and coffee, as well as any fresh or dried produce the Fort may have. Cloth would be nice too, she thought, entering the store. She could make Louis some new clothes and repair their existing ones. 

“Afternoon, ma’am,” a weedy looking man greeted her from behind the counter. “You arrive with the caravan?”

Harry smiled sweetly. “Yessir, I did. I need to purchase some wares.” She produced the list from her pockets. “Can you collect these things for me?” 

The man looked over the list. “Yes ma’am, nearly all. That’ll be roundabout a hund’red dollars.” He began writing numbers down. 

Harry raised her eyebrows, looking at the advertised prices on the flour and sugar, which were in her vicinity. “That’s odd. I had figured the price to be lower. If I requested two hundred pounds of flour and forty pounds of sugar, that figures to less than ten dollars at the prices you have listed. Ten pounds of rice is another half-dollar, and three dollars would be generous for fifteen pounds of dried fruit, but I know that must be hard to come by out here.” She wandered her way around the store. “Let’s see, coffee is expensive, I figure..” She paused to do the math in her head, staring at the sign that advertised 11 cents per pound. “Oh, I don’t care for it that much, so probably only three pounds, that’s roundabout thirty cents. Half a dollar for fifty pounds of bacon, and I suppose I’ll round out the rest with some corn and lard. That should only come to less than twenty dollars, sir. But I’m sure you just misread my handwriting, you didn’t intend to deceive me.” She smiled sweetly. “Oh, and you know..” She paused in front of the fabrics, pursing her lips. “I’ll take a dollars worth of this calico. I trust you can pack it all together for me?” 

The man fish-mouthed at her, turning a bright red color. “I, well. Yes ma’am. My mistake, I must have added improperly. We’ll pack it together right away.” 

“Lovely, thank you.” Harry smiled, handing him twenty-one dollars. The candy jars on the counter caught her eye, and she added a penny to take a couple for a treat for Louis, and maybe Lucky. “Have a lovely afternoon. Oh, and I’m sure my traveling companions will be making their way through as well- I trust you will double check your math with them as well.” She made her way to the door, pocketing the rest of her money and heading for the livery. 

Harry leaned against the railing, watching the livestock mill about in the pens. The oxen looked well fed and strong, but she overheard some men talking that it was over a hundred dollars for a yoke of two. That just wasn’t feasible for them. 

Instead, she turned her eyes to the horses. A few were rundown and weary looking, clearly having been exchanged recently by another caravan. Most looked to be in good health though, strong working horses. One in particular caught her eye- a feisty looking red roan mare, obviously young and not well broke. Biting back a smile, she went in search of the livery master. 

“How much for that sorrel mare, with the white strip?” She asked, gesturing towards the horse who was now chasing a few others away from the hay. 

The livery master chuckled. “You don’t want that one, miss. She’s mean, and dangerous. We haven’t broke her to saddle yet. Wouldn’t you like a gentler one? I know just the horse, he’s a quiet old gray-”  
  
“I think I can chose a horse for myself, thank you. How much for the sorrel mare?” Harry repeated firmly. 

The man sighed, looking Harry over. Despite his gruff attitude and imposing demeanor, she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to let him intimidate her. 

“Christ, you look like my ma when you make that face,” the man muttered. “You’re crazy, miss, but I won’t stop you. A hundred and twenty for the mare.”

Harry scoffed. “That’s absurd. You said yourself she isn’t even broke to ride. I’ll give you fifty. And I want a saddle, blanket, and bridle that will fit her.” 

The man rolled his eyes. “Who do you think you are, huh? Fifty dollars hardly covers the tack, let alone the horse. No one will give you that price. A hundred.” 

Harry clenched her jaw. “A hundred dollars is the price of a broke riding horse. That is a young, unbroke, unproven, small horse, and I will not pay that much for her.”

“You wouldn’t even be able to catch her,” the man argued, growing visibly frustrated. “She’s worth more to me if I break her and sell her six months from now.” 

“If I can catch her, I’m taking her and the tack for fifty dollars,” Harry said, cocking her eyebrow. “If I can’t, you keep her and I take a broke horse for a hundred.”

“Deal,” he scoffed, carelessly throwing a rope at her and crossing his arms. 

Harry just smirked and slid through the gap in the fencing, crossing through the herd. Most of the animals parted around her, a few followed her out of curiosity but she shooed them away. The red mare turned to face her as Harry got close, eyeing her warily. 

Harry stopped walking and just stared at the youngster, letting her become used to Harry’s presence before stepping closer again. It took nearly twenty minutes, but Harry was eventually close enough to catch the mare with the rope. When the horse started to fuss, Harry pinched her neck lightly, as if she was a dominant horse that was reprimanding the younger one for acting out of turn. Quietly, she lead the horse out of the corral, shooing off others that tried to leave with her. 

“Here you are,” she said sweetly, giving the man fifty dollars. “I trust you’ll find suitable tack promptly and bring it to the caravan, my wagon is at the head of the line.” With that, they walked off, the horse fussing slightly the entire way but not enough to give Harry second thoughts. 

Once they arrived at the wagon, she tied the youngster beside Lucky, who immediately began squealing at her and letting her know decidedly that he was in charge. Harry just laughed and shook her head, slipping into the tent to find Louis dozing, worn out from the journey. 

“Lou.” Harry smiled, kneeling over the quilt Louis had spread out and gently waking her companion with a kiss. “I’ve got you a present.”

Louis cracked one eye blearily. “Hmm?”

“Get up, come one. I got you a present.” Harry kissed her again, biting back a huge smile and standing back up.

Louis rubbed her eyes, allowing Harry to usher her to her feet. “Shouldn’t’ve got me anything, dove. I don’t need anything.”

“She reminded me of you,” Harry said simply, still smiling.

“She?” Louis asked in confusion, stopping in her tracks when she saw the small red filly tied beside Lucky. “Dove, you didn’t,” she whispered. “That’s too much, we can’t afford-”

Harry shook her head. “They practically gave her away, Lou.” And well, it was only sort of a lie. “She’s young, and is hardly broke to lead let alone ride. She’s feisty, too. Like I said, reminds me of you. I’m sure you’ll have her trained in no time.”

Louis just looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes, though she refused to let them spill. “Thank you, dove,” she whispered hoarsely, hugging the taller woman tightly. “You’re too sweet to me.”

Harry just smiled and kissed the top of Louis head. “What will you call her?” she asked softly. 

“‘Red’ probably isn’t very creative, is it?” Louis laughed. “I dunno, I’ll have to think about it, get to know her.” 

At that point, the livery master arrived with the tack for their new horse, still looking thoroughly irritated at Harry. 

Louis’ eyes dragged over the saddle, seemingly satisfied with the quality. “Thank you,” she said mildly. “You can set it just there, on the wagon.” She nodded in the general direction. The man narrowed his eyes and moved to set the gear where directed. As he moved nearer to the red horse, she shied away, pulling on the rope where she was tied. Lucky even pinned his ears, watching the man warily. 

Harry and Louis both gritted their teeth, sharing a knowing glance. They watched the man stalk away with little more than a irritated glare. Harry rested a quiet hand on each of the horses, gradually settling them. “I hate him,” she declared quietly. “Any animal that reacts that way to a person does it for a reason.”

Louis just nodded, squeezing Harry’s hip reassuringly. “I know, dove. ‘S just some evil people in the world. Wish there was something we could do.” 

Harry just shook her head, hands still shaking slightly with frustration. “I’m glad I got her out, at least.” 

Louis smiled and leaned up to kiss Harry’s cheek gently. “Me too, dove. Thank you again.”

Harry grinned, playing with the hem of Louis’ shirt where it was untucked from her nap, rumpled and dusty from the road. “Put on whatever you have that’s cleanest, hm? I’m going to do all the washing I can while we’re here.” 

Louis shook her head. “No, I’ll take care of that, hm? I can do yours as well. You take care of everything all the time, I can do laundry for once,” she said softly. “Give and take, hm?”

Harry laughed softly. “Only if you’re sure, Lou. I really don’t mind.”

“I’m sure.” Louis winked. “You get things settled for the night, hmm? And be careful, please. You look far too lovely in that dress.”

Harry just laughed again and started pulling out the fresh rations she had bought, excited to make a proper meal for the evening rather than the stale hardtack and beans they had been living on. 

They feasted on fresh bread and bacon that night, with fruit for dessert. Harry gave all the children the evening off from lessons that night, encouraging them to read a passage from any books their families may have brought for homework. Everyone was in good spirits; the security of having fresh wares and a fence around them allowed for guards to be let down. 

They departed early the next morning, Louis driving the wagon while Harry rode Lucky, ponying the red mare along. They chatted for most of the morning, daydreaming about the homestead they would build once their journey was over. They made good time the rest of that week, no inclement weather or sudden illnesses slowing their course. The dry weather was hard on the livestock, and Harry kept a damp rag handy to try and clear the noses of their oxen and horses, watering them as much as they could afford to spare with no guarantee of fresh supply for the time being. Louis decided on calling her new horse Ladybird, or Birdy for short, after the little red beetles that were abundant as summer came and went. It was late October, a harsh edge to the wind and bitterly cold at night, when they arrived in California. 

“There is is, dove,” Louis whispered, sitting on Birdy as Harry drove the wagon, looking down over the valley that Sacramento was nestled in. “We’ll be there by the end of the day.” 

They had merged with two other wagon trains over the last day or so, both significantly smaller than theirs and bringing their total to 40 families headed for the city. Harry felt tears spring to her eyes, an awestruck smile playing her lips. She thought of the families they had lost along the way, the friends she had made and the children she had taught over the last six months.

It was all worth it. 

“It’s beautiful,” Harry murmured. “I can’t believe it’s real.” She wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders against the cool breeze, her dress too big on her from the weight she had lost on the journey. No one had fared much better- they were tired and thin, exhausted from the trek, but they were here. 

“Yes, it is,” Louis agreed. “Shall we?”

Harry turned to her loved and smiled, nodding once. “One last day,” she chuckled disbelievingly, calling a sharp ‘get up’ to the oxen and following the tracks of wagons who had gone before them to the city. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please don't suck the venom out of a snakebite. thats not actually good practice ;)
> 
> happiest of new years, here's to 2020! 
> 
> Chapter 2 will be posted in a few days
> 
> Various Vocab for the fic:
> 
> Colt: male horse less than 4 years old (also: stud colt)  
> Filly: female horse less than 4 years old (also: filly colt)  
> Foal: unweaned baby horse of any gender  
> In Foal; foaling: pregnant, giving birth  
> Gelding: castrated adult male horse  
> Mare: adult female horse  
> Stallion: adult intact male horse (also: stud, typically used for a breeding horse)  
> Sorrel: a red horse, usually with red mane and tail but can sometimes be darker or lighter (also: chestnut)  
> Bay: a brown horse of any shade with black legs, mane, and tail  
> Roan: a horse of any color that also has white flecks throughout its body, giving it a lighter color.  
> Calf: unweaned baby cow of any gender  
> Steer: castrated male cow, usually intended for beef  
> Heifer: young female cow that has not yet had a calf  
> Hardtack: a flour based cracker that doesn’t spoil


	2. outlaws

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for this chapter:
> 
> \- minor gun violence  
> \- minor character death  
> \- a major character almost dies (2 separate times. oops)

They arrived by nightfall, tiredness settling into their bones as they set up camp one last time. The oxen were watered and rubbed down while Harry fed Lucky and Birdy some of the best looking hay they had seen in months, glad that she would finally be able to get some healthy weight back on the animals. 

“Dove?” Louis got Harry’s attention once she knew the rest of the train was settled. “Are you up for going to see Niall tonight, or do you want to wait till morning?”

Harry smiled tiredly, reaching out to squeeze Louis’ hand. “Tonight, my love. I know how long you’ve waited.” 

Louis’ smile lit up and she kissed Harry’s cheek chastely, the pair tacking up their horses and leaving the wagon under the watchful eye of Catharine, who had managed to keep herself and all her children alive through the journey. 

“The hotel is on the south side of town,” Louis informed softly, guiding Birdy through the streets with Lucky and Harry close behind. Hardly anyone spared them a glance, something that Harry was grateful for. Two women riding alone through city streets at night would have been abhorrent back home.

“Here,” Louis said breathlessly, shaking slightly as she dismounted and tied Birdy to the post in front, only two other horses tied there despite the lights and noise coming from the bustling business. 

Harry followed suit, fruitlessly brushing dirt off of her dress as they stepped inside. The lobby doubled as a bar and mess hall, which was the source of most of the ruckus. She stood close to Louis, though she was not sure whether it was to comfort herself or Louis. Both, maybe.

“‘Scuse me,” Louis caught a passing waitress by the arm. “Niall Tomlinson? Where is she?” 

“In her office, I’ll fetch her,” the woman said. “She might be busy, though.”  
  


“Tell her it’s Louis,” was all Harry’s companion said, before guiding Harry towards the bar and gesturing for two drinks to the bartender. “God, I remember when Lucas built this place. It took him and his crew nearly two years. They hardly saw a customer for a month. And Niall has gone and turned it into this.”

“I’m glad you’re proud,” a brash voice said behind them, and Harry turned to find a woman with light brown hair braided down her back wearing a pretty blue dress that was clearly made of expensive fabric. Harry couldn’t help but be a little jealous; all of her own things had seen far better days. 

“Ni,” Louis choked out, laughing as the woman pulled her into a deathgrip of a hug. “Missed you.”

Harry watched the reunion with a small smile, feeling more and more out of place. There was a time when she would have been in her element in a bustling place like this, socializing and keeping up appearances. Now was not that time—she was too tired to move elsewhere, too out of practice. Somehow though, she even felt a little out of place without Louis’ attention here.

“Don’t you ever do that again, you idiot,” Niall whispered. “Can’t bear not knowing if you’re alive or dead out there.”

Louis laughed wetly, wiping her eyes. “Never again,” she promised. “Dove, this is Niall, my sister-in-law. Niall, this is my...companion, Harry.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Harry smiled warmly, pushing away her nerves and shaking Niall’s hand before finding herself being pulled into a hug of her own. 

“Christ, Ni, let her breathe.” Louis laughed, thanking the bartender as their drinks arrived, a third available for Niall. 

“Sorry, sorry. Just caught up in the emotions. I’ve missed you,” Niall murmured, wiping a single stray tear. “Let’s go back to my office, hmm? It’s quieter there, we can catch up.” 

They followed her through the crowded room and down the hall to a small, cozy office with several chairs, a writing desk, and a fire burning low in the hearth. Harry sighed happily and drifted towards the chair nearest it, soaking up the warmth. 

“So. Companion, hm?” Niall raised an eyebrow and glanced between Louis and Harry, a smirk playing at her lips.

“Hush, Niall. Lover, then.” Louis rolled her eyes and took a large swallow of the whiskey, wincing at the sharp liquid. It had been too long since she had been able to have anything other than tepid water. Harry blushed bright red as she sipped her own, swirling the cup and watching the amber liquid slosh around.

“Aha. And how, pray tell, did you find yourself a lover on the California Trail?” Niall asked curiously, settling in. “I sense a story.”

“I had myself a bit of a stowaway in Missouri,” Louis said, watching Harry with a fond smile. “A stubborn little rich girl who decided she could ride across the territories with little more than her suitcase. And she did just that.” She launched into the tale of how they met, eyes dancing.

Niall laughed, a sound that filled the room so much that Harry found herself giggling too. “And then I was slowly seduced by the brash wagon master,” she tacked on, tracing the rim of her glass and blinking at Louis, only love visible in her eyes. “Can’t imagine why.”

“God you two are sickening, I can already tell,” Niall muttered, cheeks going ruddy from the drink and laughter. 

“Like you and Luke were any better.” Louis rolled her eyes, beckoning Harry over. The taller woman obediently left her chair and settled on the couch with Louis, tucking her head under Louis’ chin. 

Niall waved her off. “Maybe so. Are you in Sacramento for good, then?”

Louis tugged the pin securing Harry’s coiled braid and began carding her fingers through the dark curls, eliciting what was nearly a purr from the other girl. “For a while, at least. Figured I’d help out here, save some money if you’ll have me. I’ve promised someone a homestead somewhere east of here.” Louis winked at Harry, practically asleep on her chest. 

Harry just smiled sleepily and kissed Louis jaw. “We have time,” she whispered, setting her drink aside as she sunk deeper into Louis’ grasp, too tired to care that this wasn’t good manners for her host. 

“I could use all the help I can get,” Niall confessed. “Business just keeps growing.” Her blue eyes dragged over the other two girls. She had never seen Louis look so...soft. It was refreshing. Louis had always insisted she didn’t need anyone, that she was fine sneaking off to brothels every now and then, putting on a tough facade in order to fit in with the menfolk. This was different than Niall had ever seen her- weary from the journey but more alive than ever. Lucas worried about his twin constantly, though he never said anything. He would have been thrilled to see her look so happy.

Louis nodded. “It’s even busier than when I left,” she agreed, winking. “Wasn’t sure I had the right place.” 

“Rude.” Niall wrinkled her nose. “I know how to run a business; this place is what we made it,” she said simply. “What it was always going to be, just how Luke imagined.”

Louis smiled and nodded sadly, eyes flicking to the photograph of him on the wall. “He would be proud, Ni. He is proud,” she corrected herself, twisting one of Harry’s ringlets around her finger as she threw back the rest of her drink. “He should be here,” she added, slightly bitterly. 

Harry found Louis’ hand and laced her fingers through the other woman’s, feeling the rough calluses that seemed permanently engraved there. She squeezed once, trying to reassure her partner. She hadn’t heard the full story of Lucas’ death, only that he was killed in an altercation, and it seemed that there was more to it than that.

“Not tonight, please, Louis.” Niall sighed softly. “You’ve just come home. Let’s just be together, nothing can be done to change the past.” 

Louis opened her mouth as if to argue, but seemed to think the better of it. “Very well,” she whispered, her anger seeping away instead of bubbling over as it tended to. “Anyway, if you’ve room, we’ll likely sell the wagon and stay here for a time. 

Niall only smiled. “You are welcome here for as long as you like, Louis. Forever, if I had it my way,” she said kindly. “I’ll reserve a room for the two of you, across from my own. You’ll not want for anything while you’re here.” 

“Thank you, Niall,” Louis said, genuine relief present in her eyes. “We had best get back to the rest for one last night, I only wanted to see you as soon as I could.”

“Of course,” Niall agreed, downing the last of her drink. “Is that one even awake?” She laughed softly, nodding towards where Harry’s eyes had slipped closed, her breathing even and deep. 

Louis smiled fondly down at her love, gently tucking a curl behind Harry’s ear. “It doesn’t appear to be so.” She chuckled quietly. “I would just put her to bed here, but I don’t think she would forgive me if she didn’t get to say goodbye to those we traveled with.” She rubbed Harry’s shoulder gently. “Dove? Think you can make it back to the train?” 

Harry stirred and sighed. “Hmm?”

“It’s late, dove. Think you can make it back to the train? One last night in a tent?”

“Mmhmm,” Harry agreed sleepily, forcing herself to sit up. 

“Okay.” Louis grinned fondly, bundling the taller woman to her feet before she could fall asleep again. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Niall. Likely midday.”

“I look forward to it,” Niall said, embracing Louis one last time. “It’s good to have you home, Lou.”

“It’s good to be home.” Louis smiled, gently guiding Harry through the hotel and back outside. Lucky stood steady while Harry clumsily mounted, hardly holding the reins as the trusty horse simply followed Louis and Birdy, both horse and rider too tired to bother being in the lead or showing off. They made it to the outskirts of town where the caravan was, going through the motions of untacking and caring for their mounts before slipping into the tent. Harry was dead on her feet, and despite not being much better off, Louis carefully undressed Harry, folding the gown in just the way Harry liked and bundling her up in a quilt. She pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head, curling around her protectively as she had a hundred nights before, both women asleep as soon as their heads hit the cool earth. 

They woke too soon to sunlight warming the sides of the tent and the noises of a bustling city filtering in. It was almost disconcerting, after months of only birds chirping and horses stamping to wake them. Harry groaned and stirred, Louis already standing and dressed. 

“Good morning, sweet,” Louis rasped, smiling tiredly. “We need only pack everything to Niall’s today and find someone who wants the wagon to use or for wood. Most everyone is up and getting ready to leave, you’d best get ready if you want to say farewell.”

“Okay,” Harry whispered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and standing, pulling on the dress tucked neatly in the corner where Louis had left it last night. She buttoned it with clumsy fingers, helping Louis pack away the quilts and tent. 

“What little is left of the food can go to the kitchens at the hotel,” Louis decided. “We can sell or give Niall all the pots and pans and other such things, same as the oxen and wagon. All your things are in your cases, I think all my things are in a single trunk… we should be able to take all of these things to Niall’s easily.”

Harry nodded along. “Sounds good to me,” she agreed, scratching each of the oxen. They weren’t the kindest beasts, but they had served their purpose well and she was grateful to them for getting her across the vast plains of the territories. “I’m going to go say farewell to the children.”

She gathered all of her pupils up like a hen herding her chicks, giving each one of them a firm embrace and reminding each child that they must practice reading and writing often and not let their learning lapse. She went around and bid goodbye to the other women she had become close with as well, before returning to the wagon to tack Lucky up and survey their group one last time. 

They were much more haggard looking than when they set out, and a fair amount fewer, but their journey was a success. They had made it, and really, it was all thanks to Louis. Niall sent one of her staff along around eleven with a horse and cart to load their belongings into, as the oxen and wagon were too clunky to move through the narrow streets of the town. 

“Tell Niall all the cases can be taken to our room and that she can decide what else she wants to keep for the hotel. I’ll be selling what she doesn’t want. We will be along shortly,” Louis instructed the boy, a youth just starting to grow a patchy beard.

Most of the men spent their time gold-prospecting in these parts, and Louis wondered why this one wasn’t until she noticed a significant limp as the boy nodded his understanding and walked back to get in the drivers bench of the cart. It would be harder and riskier than prospecting already was if you couldn’t move swiftly. 

“Alright dove, that’s everything.” Louis turned and smiled at Harry, whose eyes were only a little watery. “I’d like to start at the livery, see if they know of anyone needing oxen or the wagon. Then we can head back to the hotel.” 

Harry nodded her assent, taking a deep breath and hugging Catharine tightly one last time. The women whispered encouragement to each other before separating, Harry to mount Lucky and Catharine to gather up her children and head to find the small home her husband had sent word was ready for them. 

“Ready,” Harry said, voice steadier than she felt, smiling bravely at Louis as her companion mounted Birdy. They rode through the streets, much busier than they had been the previous night, and Harry found herself in awe of the bustling town. 

“Am I seeing ghosts or is that Louise Tomlinson?” a voice rang out through the crowds, and Louis wheeled in her saddle to find where it came from. When her eyes landed on a tall, well muscled form leaning against a porch beam, she laughed and shook her head. 

“I think I told you I would turn _you_ into a ghost if you ever called me that again, Liam Payne. Is that a shiny badge I see pinned to your chest? What idiot went and made you a deputy?” They turned their horses towards the man, weaving through the crowds of people running their errands. 

“The idiot that shot John Hamilton.” Liam shrugged, an easy grin on his face. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you again, Lou. When did you get back?”  
  
“We got in last night,” Louis said, pulling Birdy to a halt in front of the man, who reached into his pocket and produced an apple. He slivered off a piece with his knife and offered it to the horse, the “we” only registering as Harry came to a stop beside Louis, having been delayed across the street by a small cart loaded with produce.

“This is Harriet Styles, my traveling companion and… close friend.” She was not sure Liam knew of her preference of the finer sex, but he must have some suspicion. He spent enough time with her and Lucas. 

“It’s a pleasure, ma’am.” Liam tipped his hat politely. “My apologies for the time you’ve had to spend with Louis here,” he joked, laughing as Lucky stared him down until he too, was gifted an apple slice. 

Louis rolled her eyes. “Harry, Liam here was Lucas’ best friend. He helped us build the hotel. He seems to have lost all common sense and become a deputy.”  
  


Harry chuckled. “The pleasure is mine. And spending time with Louis is hardly a hardship; I suppose I will keep her around,” she said playfully, delighting when Louis lit with a rosy blush. 

Liam grinned and began crunching down the rest of his apple. “I suppose I should get back to deputy-ing; these old drunks start trouble at the drop of a hat. I assume you’re staying at the hotel?”

Louis nodded her confirmation. “That we are. I expect you there this evening, Payne. Six sharp for dinner, I’ll hear nothing against it.”

“I’ll be there. We’ll have a proper catching up.” He split the rest of his apple between the two horses, tipped his hat politely to Harry, and started wandering down the street back towards the sheriff's office. 

“He’s a good man,” Louis said quietly, a smile stuck on her lips as she guided them back to the road to the hotel. “He’s done a lot for us.”

“He seemed it,” Harry agreed. “I look forward to knowing him better.” 

Her eyes lingered on a few shops as they passed, able to see them better now in the light. They rested longest on a dressmakers shop, and she felt a pang for all her worn, tattered dresses, prints so faded and dirty that they would never be the same. Soon enough she would find the time and funds to purchase more fabric and make some new ones, just as grand as hers had been before the journey. 

Before they knew it, they had reached the hotel. They dismounted and guided their horses to the livery next door. It wasn’t owned by Niall, but she had an accord with the owner and Louis had helped the man break a few colts before she left. 

“Thomas!” Louis called into the barn, scratching Birdy absent-mindedly as they waited for the livery master to appear. 

“Louis Tomlinson, as I live and breathe.” A tall, bow-legged man with a thick grey moustache and kind blue eyes appeared from the hay loft, wearing an easy smile. “What can I do for you?” 

Harry was amused but not surprised at the way Louis seemed to know everyone and was well liked by them all, watching as her partner extended her hand and greeted the man. 

“It’s good to see you, Thomas. We need board for our two horses here, a stall each and turnout to grass if you have it. We will be staying at the hotel for the foreseeable future. Good hay please, they’ve carried us across the territories and could do with better forage. Space for our tack too, if you please.”

“Of course,” Thomas agreed, leading them down the aisle to a pair of roomy stalls, already bedded down and with hay and water waiting. “Will you pay by the week or the month?”

“The month, for now at least,” Louis confirmed, passing over some cash, though Thomas shook his head and passed back half of it. “Family rates for you.” He winked playfully, and the women gave their thanks before untacking and thoroughly grooming their horses. “Let me know if you’ve an interest in working with any colts. I have my eye on a few that I hear Ulysses Shields might be selling.” 

“I sure will, Thomas. You know I’m always interested in that,” Louis agreed, thanking the man again as he wandered back to the hay loft. 

“You’re just the most popular gal in town,” Harry teased playfully, squeaking and dodging out of the way with a laugh as Louis’ hand snuck out in an attempt to pinch her. “It’s sweet! Everyone loves you.” Harry grinned, brushing out Lucky’s tail as he happily munched hay.

“Yes, well.” Louis shrugged modestly. “It’s a young town, and we were among the first here. It’s easy for everyone to know me, and if they don’t know me, they know that I’m with Niall. Speaking of, we should hurry. I’m sure she’s expecting us for lunch.”

They finished tending their horses and walked the short distance to the hotel. A young girl at the front quickly recognized them and handed them a key, passing on the message that Niall would have lunch set in her office in an hour. They made their way to their room, Harry excited at the prospect of a bath and finding a nicer gown in her cases. She wanted to be somewhat more presentable for Niall today. She found a tub in the room, something she had hardly expected and was delighted to see, already filled with warm water. She would have to thank whoever had carted it up. She stripped out of her clothes quickly, sinking in and humming happily as she began scrubbing away the dirt from her skin with a bar of soap, watching happily as her fairer complexion returned, though she was a good deal more tanned and freckled than she had been before the journey. 

“Is there a comb for your hair?” Louis asked softly, watching Harry with a fond smile and bending to kiss the top of her head. “I’ll get the knots out for you.” 

Harry blushed happily, sinking chin deep into the water. “I think I have one in my case.”

Louis opened up the nearer one, finding the comb and kneeling by the tub. She gently guided Harry under the water, smudging a bit of the soap into her dark curls and brushing them till they shone. She rinsed the soap away, smiling and kissing Harry sweetly. “Lovely dove. I’m so happy we made it here.” 

“Me too. It was quite an adventure.” Harry smiled, returning the kiss and sighing happily, feeling truly clean for the first time in months. “All thanks to you that we made it.” 

She wrung the water out from her hair and stood, wrapping herself in a towel and drying off as best she could. Louis took advantage of the bath next, Harry returning the favor and brushing out her light hair in the same fashion. They dressed quickly, Harry in a light, floral patterned gown that had seen the least use on the trail, braiding her still-damp hair and pinning it up. Louis still favored pants and a shirt, opting for one that Harry had made her from the fabric purchased at Fort Laramie. She braided her hair as well but left it to trail down her back, catching Harry in one more chaste kiss before they went to eat with Niall. 

“Took you two long enough,” Niall said playfully, bent over some papers on her desk, plates of food waiting for them at the table. “May as well call it supper at this point.”

“Hush, you. It’s ten minutes past noon.” Louis rolled her eyes, pulling a chair out for Harry to sit and delighting in the way it made the girl blush. “Now put the work away for once and come eat.” 

Niall obeyed, setting aside her pen and crossing the room to sit at the head of the table. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I hate sums.”

Harry’s face lit up. “I would be happy to help with that, if you like,” she offered. “I’m quite good at math.” 

“And writing. She taught half the children on the trail to read,” Louis chimed in, mouth already full.

The three dug in to their meal: beef stew. It was the best tasting thing Harry had eaten in months, with no beans or hardtack to be found, and more vegetables than she thought she had seen the entire journey.

Niall chewed thoroughly as she considered the suggestion. “I may take your offer there. It’s a good portion of my time, balancing the incomes and expenses, keeping inventory. It would be easier to manage the everyday running of the place if I did not have to consider the paperwork on top of it.”

Harry smiled. “I don’t think I would have any trouble with that, after I understand what all needs to be recorded,” she decided. “I would be happy to help.” 

Niall grinned and nodded her thanks. “I appreciate it. Once you’re settled, I’ll begin to show you my papers and such.” 

“Any tasks you can think for me, sister dearest?” Louis asked of Niall, grinning cheekily.

“I would never dream of telling you what to do, you’ll find your own work soon enough,” Niall laughed. “Anything you want to do, Louis, so long as it’s not cooking.”

Harry had to hide a grin at that as well, covering her mouth as Louis gaped, affronted. 

“Rude,” Louis muttered, spearing a potato. “I’m not _that_ bad. I cooked for us on the road a few times, right, dove?”

Niall snorted, and Harry found herself giggling. “Warming up beans and bacon isn’t exactly cooking, Lou. I’m sure cooking true meals for dozens of guests is a touch more difficult.”

Louis sighed. “Betrayed by my own gal.” She shook her head and tutted. “I can’t believe. See if I ever cook for you again.”

Harry grinned and leaned over to kiss Louis’ cheek. “Just so long as you do the dishes.”

“Aye, suppose I can do that,” Louis consented, chuckling softly. They ate in companionable silence for the rest of the meal, before a sudden thought returned to Harry. 

“Niall, might I use some paper? Are there means to get mail back east? I want to let my kin know I am alive and well.” 

Niall nodded. “Of course,” she confirmed. “There is mail service, but it is lengthy and not always reliable. I often send two copies, a week or so apart. Use as much paper as you like, I’ll have the staff take the letters to the post.”

“Thank you.” Harry smiled. She intended to send a letter to her mother, but she was more concerned about sending word to Nana and Bobby, to her friends back in Missouri. A small part of her missed them, but life had been so dull back home. 

They moved to the couches then, all three women well sated, Harry curled against Louis’ chest as they spoke of the business and Niall provided her with the documents she had kept, of incomes and expenses and other various records. They were accurate to what Harry could tell, and fairly well organized, though Harry knew right away she would want to make some changes. Her fingers began to itch, however, with the need to send word home, and she excused herself to sit at the desk and started her letters. 

  
  


_Dear Mother,_

_By now I am sure you are aware that I never arrived in Ohio. I am sorry that I could send word only now, many months later, and I hope you have not worried terribly for me. I also hope you were not harsh with Bobby after my disappearance. He saw me dutifully to the train and waited until I was safely escorted to my seat, just as you instructed._

_You must understand that I could not fathom going to Cincinnati. I did not wish to go to some finishing school and have my last bits of independence beaten from me only to be replaced with matronly qualities and instruction on how to properly manage a household for some old wealthy man. I did not wish to marry for politics, but instead for love. So, instead of taking the train East, I joined the caravan departing early that morning and took the California Trail to Sacramento._

_Again, I hope you did not worry too much for me, Mother. I have seen the most magnificent things in these territories. I have seen rivers and mountains, plains and forests, all manner of flowers and birds and creatures great and small. There was danger, to be sure, but I found safety and later, love, with my companion Louis. We have arrived, with Louis’ guidance, in Sacramento and are staying with Louis’ sister-by-law, Niall. She runs the hotel here, so we want for nothing._

_I regret nothing except not sending word of my safety sooner, but there has been no way to send mail as we traveled through the territories. This has been the most magnificent adventure, and I wake each day with a joy I never found in Missouri, a joy that rests not only in Louis, not only in the adventure, but in myself. I can only wish that you may find this freedom for yourself one day. Please pass on my news to the ladies we kept company with, and let them all know I miss them dearly and they are welcome here should they make the journey west._

_Yours with love,_

_Harriet._

  
  


Harry skimmed over the letter once more, carefully omitting any clues to Louis’ true identity, before copying it down once more by Niall’s recommendation. That done, she began penning a second letter for Bobby and Nana. She knew they couldn’t read well, and likely her mother would intercept it before passing it off to them, so she addressed it to the pastor that Bobby was close friends with in hopes he could read it to the pair. 

  
  


_My dearest friends Bobby and Nana,_

_I am writing to send word of my safe arrival in Sacramento, California, the westernmost territory. It has taken us many months to walk this far, but I have arrived safely, with Lucky as well. We are both thin, so know that I am pretending I can hear Nana all the way from Missouri, scolding us for not eating enough. I promise to “put some meat on those bones” soon._

_The journey was long and tiresome, but I loved every moment of it, and saw many wonders that I could never have imagined. An even bigger adventure I have found though, is a new love in my partner, Louis. We are both settled with Louis’ sister-by-law Niall in her hotel here in Sacramento, and have found work and want for nothing by her generosity. Should you ever decide yourselves to journey west, you will be welcome here._

_I hope you know I miss you dearly and sincerely hope we will see each other again one day. If you get this, please have the Pastor send word to Niall Tomlinson in Sacramento, California so that I may know you are both well._

_All my love,_

_Harry_

  
  


Again, Harry copied over the letter, a content smile on her face and a sense of relief washing over her, as if this was the last step of her journey. 

“All well, dove?” Louis asked softly as Harry rejoined the women on the couch. 

“Yes.” Harry smiled. “I hope the letters reach them. They deserve to know where I am, that I’m alright,” she hummed. 

“I am sure they will be glad to hear from you.” Louis smiled softly. “Shall we go unpack our things and rest a while? Liam will be here around six for supper.”

Harry nodded, still bone tired from the journey and very excited at the prospect of sleeping on a real bed. “Yes, I think a short rest sounds lovely,” she murmured, only then realizing Niall had gone off to attend her business. 

  
  


They spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and napping, settling into their quarters. It was wonderful to spend time just resting, but at the same time Harry felt anxiety settling over her like a cloud, her body wondering why they weren’t moving when they had hours of daylight left to journey with. 

“Dove,” Louis interrupted, startling Harry from her thoughts with a gentle kiss. “What’s wrong, sweet?”

Harry blinked, before taking a deep breath and trying to ease back into bed, into Louis’ embrace. “It just feels strange, not being on the road. I still feel like there’s so much I have to do, that we’re going too slow. It’s folly.”

Louis shook her head, curling protectively around Harry. “No, Harry. It’s a hard journey we’ve just made. It will take time to readjust to life here,” she promised. “Just try and rest, hmm? Don’t dive right into helping Niall, don’t start all the little projects I know you’ve been making a list of in your head for a month. Just rest.” 

Harry nodded, kissing Louis sweetly. “Thank you,” she murmured. “And same to you—I saw the way your eyes lit up when Thomas asked you about the colts.”

Louis laughed quietly. “Deal. I’ll rest if you will,” she offered. “For a week, at least.”

“A week at least,” Harry agreed with a smile. 

The pair dozed easily, rising when their stomachs began complaining for food around 5. It was odd, Harry had learned to ignore hunger, but a few solid meals and she began craving things again. “Liam was coming to supper with us, right?” she remembered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

“Yes,” Louis hummed, readjusting her sleep-rumpled clothes. “Did I mention that to Niall? I do not recall.”

“Neither do I,” Harry confessed. They exchanged sleepy grins, both shrugging as if to say, this may as well play out. No doubt Niall would welcome the deputy, but she may fuss at the women for not warning her and making her hurry for another place setting.

They descended the stairs, hair and clothes fixed and faces a bit brighter from splashing water on them. Niall was bustling behind the bar, apron on over her gown as she assisted her staff with the dinner rush. Louis caught her eye and Niall made her way towards them. 

“You can head to the office, I’ll have everything set there. I can join you shortly,” Niall said briskly, starting to turn away. 

“Ok,” Louis agreed. “Did I mention Liam was coming for supper?”

“Liam?” Niall blushed. “No, you didn’t. That’s lovely though, the more the merrier. I haven’t seen him as much lately, with his new job. I’ll have Meredith set another place.”

Harry grinned to herself, watching Niall act as if she hadn’t been flustered for a moment. The woman clearly had some sort of crush on Liam, and Harry wouldn’t be surprised if it went both ways.

“Sounds lovely. Apologies for not mentioning it earlier.” Louis winked, leading Harry back to the office. 

Liam arrived promptly at six and was sent back to the office by the staff, still wearing the deputy badge pinned to his vest, his spurs making a soft twinkle as he walked. He let himself in the door, finding Louis and Harry in front of the fire kissing, Harry draped across Louis’ lap. They leapt apart, both turning a fiery red as Liam cleared his throat. 

“My apologies.” The man smirked slightly, closing the door behind him.

Louis regarded Liam with a wary look while Harry smoothed the front of her dress nervously. 

“Howdy, Liam.” Louis went to pour three drinks from the bottle Niall kept on her desk, fingers twitching for the irons she would normally have strapped on her waist but were tucked safely away in her room. 

“It’s good to see you, Louis,” Liam hummed, hooking both thumbs in the pockets of his trousers. “I trust you’re settling in well?”

“Very well, thank you,” Louis agreed, voice tight. “I’m sure you remember Ms. Styles.”

“Yes, it has been only a few hours since we met. I would be a fool to forget such beauty,” Liam said, voice amused. “You can relax, Louis. I’m not going to turn you in.”

Louis crossed the room to offer him a glass, sipping from one as she gave Harry the last. “You aren’t?”

“You really think that you keeping female companionship is the strangest idea I could come up with?” Liam laughed. “Louis, you’re a comely woman. Lucas would have made a suitable match for you years ago, you could have had your pick of the town. Instead you spend your time wearing men’s clothes, breaking colts, and leading wagon trains across the territories. As long as you’re subtle about it, I doubt anyone will truly care.”

Louis relaxed slightly, remembering why she had enjoyed the company of Liam so much. He and Lucas were one in the same: as kind and honest as the day was long. “You think I’m comely?” she asked playfully, winking at Liam. “My thanks, Deputy Payne, but I’m afraid I’m taken.”

Liam rolled his eyes, Harry snorted, and all tension was gone from the room. “You know, I think I take it back. You should go do another trek across the territories. Maybe you’ll find some manners there.”

“I’m fairly sure that’s where I lost most of them,” Louis joked, glancing up as Niall walked in. “There you are, finally joining the party.”  
  
“Hush, you,” Niall tutted. “Someone has to work around here. Hi, Liam, it’s good to see you.” She smiled, accepting the kiss he pressed to her cheek and returning one. “Sit, come on. The girls are right behind me with supper.”

“Yes, mother,” Louis laughed, but all four of them settled at the table and thanked Niall’s staff as four plates loaded high with lamb and vegetables were set in front of them. 

Dinner was a lively affair, with Louis and Harry sharing stories of their journey, and Liam catching up with Louis and Niall. Harry quickly grew fond of the deputy and his warm brown eyes. He was quick to smile and seemed to have no issue treating his female companions as his equals. 

Their conversation lasted well into the night, after they migrated from the table to the couches, adding logs to the hearth to keep the room warm against the November chill. It would have been unbearable back in Missouri, Harry considered. Snow would already falling at home, but here in California it was still mild. She found she did not miss it much. 

It was well past midnight when Liam mounted his spotted pony, Lassie, and headed for home, and the three women quietly took themselves to bed, Harry and Louis arm-in-arm. 

Harry grinned sleepily as Louis undid the fastenings on her dress, kissing along her jaw as she did so before letting the gown fall off her shoulders. “Liam seems wonderful. I see why you were so close,” she murmured, returning the favor and undressing Louis.   
  


“Aye, he’s a good lad.” Louis smiled, collecting their things and folding them into the trunk at the foot of the bed before slipping under the quilt with Harry, whose brown curls had tumbled loose over her shoulders. “He and Lucas were just about the best men I’ve known.”

Harry tucked her head into the crook of Louis neck, tracing patterns on her collar bones and imagining their hearts were beating in time together. 

“How did Lucas die?” she asked softly, chewing on her lower lip. She felt Louis tense beneath her and almost regretted asking the question, but her lover sighed and laced her fingers through Harry’s, slowly letting the tension drain from her body. 

“When we were building the hotel, Lucas hired several men to help with construction. It was getting too big for just us to build, we needed help, and he had done well prospecting the previous year, so we had the gold to pay them. We had probably close to twenty men and boys working for us. A new group of men showed up in town, around when we were finishing. A few came looking for work, said they needed money to buy the equipment to head up to the rivers for prospecting. We had a few boys unable to work because they were sick, there was a flu going around town, so Lucas offered them the job and told them to be there at sunrise Monday. 

“He and I had some business buying supplies from a settlement north of here, so we departed that afternoon and left one of the trusted men in charge. When the new meen showed up Monday, they were drunk off their tits, could hardly stand up straight, let alone work, and the foreman had taken ill so no one was there to stop them. We got there that afternoon and found they had started trying to steal supplies to build a shelter but had passed out in the process. Lucas was infuriated, he hated thieves and drunks, so he fired them on the spot and sent them off without pay. He was such a prominent figure in the town that the men were essentially shunned by most of the people from that point. 

“We finished the hotel about three weeks later, had opened for business and everything, so we were all having a drink at the saloon. Niall and I left early, but Lucas never came home. We sent out a search party and found him about a mile out of town, beaten to death and shot for good measure, his horse standing watch over him. I’ve never seen Niall go so white, I had to jump off my horse to keep her from falling from hers. The sheriff… the sheriff wouldn’t do anything. He said there wasn’t enough proof, the killers seemed to have vanished, the tracking dogs didn’t find anything. But two days later, those men wandered back into town with blacked eyes and bruised knuckles, claiming they fought each other while drunk. But I think… I think the sheriff didn’t try to find them, turned a blind eye to their wounds, maybe even was in on it with them. There were rumors going around that Lucas was going to be elected sheriff, or maybe mayor, in the next year, and he and Lucas never did get along.” Louis sighed heavily. “I know they did it, I know it in my heart. No one else in this town had any quarrel with Lucas. The sheriff’s dead now, fell off a horse and broke his neck, but those two drunks still lurk around here.”

Harry felt goosebumps rise on her skin, and wrapped her arms tightly around Louis. “I’m so sorry, Lou,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“It is what it is,” Louis murmured, kissing the top of Harry’s head. “Thank you though, dove.”

“I love you. I hate seeing you hurt.” Harry sighed quietly. She still felt a little jolt every time they used the words, as if her heart skipped a beat or her nerves short circuited momentarily. 

Louis grinned. “I love you too, dove. Let’s go to sleep, hm?”

Harry hummed her agreement and they drifted off in a tangle of limbs, warm in each other’s embrace. 

They quickly settled into life at the hotel. Harry took over the books as promised- it took her about two weeks to sort through Niall’s records, organize them, and start keeping track of current expenses. She developed a bit more of a strict budget and increased the cost per night by a few pennies (though that had been hard to convince Niall on). Louis was crawling out of her skin by the time their promised week of vacation was over, and was with Thomas at dawn on day 8, discussing how many of the colts he intended to buy and which ones Louis thought looked the most promising. Harry, Louis, and Thomas all saddled up the next morning and herded the unbroke colts from Ulysses’ pasture to Thomas’ corrals, which was the most fun Harry thought she’d had in months. 

“You’d make a fine cowpoke, little lady,” Louis had called teasingly as Lucky nipped in to keep a straggler from making a break for freedom. Harry had just laughed, but enjoyed the thought all the same. Maybe when she and Louis had a homestead they could raise some cows as well. 

All in all, it was satisfying work. They woke early, worked late, and had a bone deep sense of satisfaction as the business continued to grow. It slowed down for the winter, with fewer travelers, but it seemed to stay busier than Niall reported previous winters being. All the same, November passed in a blue, and December even more so.

They went to the saloon the day before Christmas Eve to celebrate Louis’ birthday with drinks and cards. Liam and Niall tagged along as well, and the four of them were increasingly tipsy when they settled down at a poker table. A few other men joined in, but it was on game three when two of them bowed out and their friends took their places. 

Louis looked up at the newcomers and her expression immediately turned stoney. “I do not play cards with murderers and thieves,” she said icily. “So I suggest you find another table, boys.”

Harry felt like a bucket of ice had been dumped on her and she immediately sobered up. These must have been the men Louis thought killed Lucas.   
  


“You had best watch your mouth, bitch, or we’ll wash it out for you,” the meaner looking of the two snarled, standing up and placing his hand on his belt. 

Liam immediately stood and put a hand on the man’s chest, his ‘deputy voice’ coming out as he spoke. 

“I’m sure you don’t mean to draw irons in this peaceful establishment, son,” he said firmly. “I know the owner, and I do believe he has a strict policy against drinking and guns being mixed. Perhaps you’ve had enough whiskey and should take a walk outside, clear your head.”

The man looked like he would rather punch Liam than take a walk, but his shorter companion tugged him back by the arm. “Come on then, Danny. You heard the deputy.” 

Danny spat towards Liam and Louis, muttering under his breath, but allowed his brother to guide him towards the exit. 

“I do believe it’s time for me to turn in,” Louis announced, tossing back the rest of her drink and holding a hand out for Harry. Harry accepted gracefully, secretly glad. She had lost the last round miserably. They said farewell to Liam, with Harry whispering her thanks for de-escalating the situation. They mounted their horses, riding towards the far end of town where the hotel was.

“Are you ok?” Harry asked quietly as she and Louis took their time grooming the horses, warming up in the barn against the cool December air. 

Louis didn’t answer for a long while, focused on brushing Birdy until she shone. “I don’t think I’ve ever hated another human being more,” she confessed softly. “It isn’t fair that they’re alive while Lucas is dead.” 

“No,” Harry agreed. “It’s not fair.” She hung her tack up and hugged Lucky around the neck before going to slip her arms around Louis’ waist from behind, kissing the back of her neck and breathing in the smell of girl and horse and hay. “I’m sorry. If I could snap my fingers and make it that way, I would.”

Louis smiled softly and leaned into Harry. “I know, dove. But if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have gone back east and I wouldn’t have met you. So maybe it was meant to be.”

Harry grinned. “I love you,” she murmured. “Come, old lady. We had best get to bed, it’s someone’s birthday tomorrow.” 

Louis laughed, anger forgotten, and gave Birdy a last pat. “Alright then. Bed it is,” she agreed, allowing Harry to guide her through the halls of the hotel before they both collapsed into bed, fully clothed. 

Harry dreamed she was back in Missouri, in the kitchen with Nana. It was hot, right in front of the fire, with the faint smell of smoke. 

“Watch out now, and don’t get burned, Harry,” Nana warned. Her name seemed to echo from the maid’s lips, and Harry jolted awake to Louis shaking her awake. 

“Harry! Harry, dove, wake up. There’s a fire, we need to leave.” Louis had a cloth pressed over her mouth, and it took Harry a moment to realize their room was filling with smoke. She gasped and then coughed, the heady smell causing her to panic before she was even fully awake. The pair flew out of bed to the hall, but found even thicker smoke. 

“It must have started downstairs,” Louis shouted over the sound of panicking hotel guests and the din of crackling wood. “Do you trust me?” 

Harry nodded shakily, already sweating through her thin night dress from the heat. “I trust you. With my life,” she said, clutching Louis’ hand. 

“Okay. We have to go through the window,” Louis said. “We have to climb down. I’ll go first, and you’ll follow exactly as I go, ok?”

“Okay,” Harry agreed shakily, eyeing her trunk, still packed with several dresses, her money, some of Louis’ clothes, and the portrait of her father, and grabbed it to throw out in front of them. It broke the glass and split open with a dull thud as it landed, spilling some of the contents, but the crowd beginning to gather outside the hotel didn’t seem to mind—they were too preoccupied with racing pails of water down the line, trying to quench the flames. 

“Come, dove, quickly,” Louis urged, swinging one leg out the window and then the other, clutching the trellis and ledges on the roof with a death grip as she carefully climbed down onto the roof below them. “Now, Harry! I feel the heat on this roof, it will catch soon. Hurry!”

Harry obeyed, following Louis’ route and relying solely on adrenaline to keep her from losing her nerve. The thatching of the lower roof burned her bare feet, and it was as she was shimmying down the trellis of the porch’s supporting beam that the roof finally caught, the flames redoubling with the sudden influx of oxygen. Harry yelped and jumped the last six or so feet to the earth, staggering into Louis’ arms and letting out a sob at the sight of their home in ruins. 

Suddenly, men were shouting of the barn, and Harry paled. The livery was right beside the hotel, and it was a breezy night. Embers would easily set the place alight, with all it’s dry hay and straw. She found herself sprinting towards it with a handful of others, finding the hayloft already blazing, and raced to the back stalls where Lucky and Birdy were kept. She threw ropes around both of them, unlocking the doors of each stall that she passed to let the horses flee. They would run for a time, but would likely stay within town, and men were throwing ropes around the animals they could. Thomas was among them, nodding his thanks to Harry as she continued to set loose the horses, bare feet be damned. Lucky and Birdy both remained steadfast beside her, despite rolling their eyes wildly and snorting at the stench of smoke and fear. Harry led them outside, heart lurching at the sound of creaking beams. 

“Thomas!” she screamed. “Get out, it’s going to collapse!” 

She found herself half running, half being dragged by Lucky out of the barn, the lanky old man close behind her as they both narrowly avoided being trampled by the frightened beasts they had released. They stood back from the barn, watching as the hayloft collapsed down onto itself and released the burning kindling into the rest of the barn, blessedly empty. Most of the horses were racing for safety, but Harry managed to tie Birdy and Lucky to a nearby hitching post.

Harry turned back to face the hotel, now fully engulfed in flames, despite the best efforts of neighbors and friends passing pail after pail of water. She found Louis near the front, covered in ash and sweating from the heat. 

“Where is Niall?” Louis screamed over the din as Harry accepted a pail as well and threw it’s contents towards the flames. Harry just shook her head, heart in her throat as she turned to survey the crowds of smoke-stained guests and determined neighbors. 

“I don’t see her,” she replied, panicked, as she started racing through the crowds.   
  


“Niall!” Harry shouted, grabbing every likely-looking woman by the shoulder and spinning her, only to find a stranger. “Niall Tomlinson! Did she make it out?” 

“She’s round the back! I had to stop her from going back in, she’s round the back,” someone finally replied. Liam, Harry realized. He wore a cloth over his face as he carried two pails of water at a time from the well, passing them off to the men and accepting two empty ones in return. 

Harry nodded and began running around to the back porch of the hotel, finding fewer people but still a fair amount, all throwing water as best they could. Niall was among them, dress singed and hair sooty, determination on her face but despair clear in her blue eyes. Harry sagged with relief, joining the efforts and stepping in beside the woman, ignoring the way her feet ached from first the burns and then running barefoot through the streets, ignoring the way the smoke stung her eyes and lungs. 

It was well past dawn when the fires had consumed all they could. After a time, the neighbors had given up on saving the hotel and instead began soaking the roofs of nearby buildings, trying to prevent them from catching. They managed to contain the blaze to the hotel and the barn, much to Harry’s relief. 

The sunlight somehow made the sight an even more grisly one, Harry thought, shoving her trampled things back into their case and fingering the cracked glass over her father’s portrait. She walked stiffly on bloody feet to rejoin Liam, Louis, and Niall, the latter of whom was shaking with grief and fever. Someone pressed a cup of water into Harry’s hands, which she drank gratefully before settling beside her newfound family, wrapping an arm around Niall’s shoulders, and observing the charred skeleton of the hotel Niall and Luke had worked so hard to build. 

“Did everyone make it out?” Harry asked hollowly, voice rough with smoke. 

“Most. Some still missing. We haven’t-” Liam’s voice broke. “Haven’t gone to check, yet.” His shoulders sagged as he thought on the prospect. Harry hoped some of the other men would go look. The sheriff, maybe. Liam looked too worn, too weary. He had built this place with the Tomlinsons; it was as much his as theirs. 

“It was arson,” Louis announced suddenly. “It was arson. This was no natural blaze. I’ll kill the bastard that did this.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Liam snorted, though no smile seemed to lend weight to his amusement. “I try not to allow murder plots in my town.”

“It’s not a jest, Liam,” Louis said, rage burning in her eyes. “I heard those drunks muttering last night, the ones that killed Lucas. They wanted me dead too. They did this. I’ll kill them.”

Harry pulled Louis closer to her, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman’s shoulders. “Hush, Louis. It’s not the time or place. Let the ashes settle, then we can investigate.”

“The thing that went up first was the office,” Louis argued. “It’s the opposite side from the kitchen, and Niall didn’t have a fire in the hearth. Someone set it on fire.” 

Niall let out a shaky sob, burying her head in her arms. “What are we going to do? This was his dream, we built it from the ground up, this was everything. It’s gone,” she hiccuped. 

It was Liam’s turn to console Niall, pressing another cup of water into the woman’s hands, wiping her tears, and hugging her tightly. “We rebuild,” he said simply. “Louis and I will figure out the cause of the fire, and then we rebuild.” 

Niall sniffled, still quivering. “I don’t know if I can,” she admitted with a whimper. 

“You don’t have to know right now,” Liam said. “Come on, all of you. I have a bed, we all need sleep. It’s been a long night.” He stood, guiding Niall to her feet and holding another hand out for Harry, who brought Louis up with her. 

“I’ll get the horses,” Louis rasped, voice rough with smoke. “Have you room for them?”

“Aye, Lassie’s the only one I’ve got now,” Liam answered. “She can make room.” 

Harry and Louis hobbled over to Lucky and Birdy, who had finally settled down after the panic. Louis helped Harry mount Lucky, then passed up the suitcase to carry across her lap, before using the hitching post as a way to scramble onto Birdy. They rode bareback, using the ropes they had been tied with as a means of direction by putting them loosely around the horses necks. Both mounts were content to plod quietly belong while Liam gently guided a still in shock Niall. They arrived at Liam’s small property a short while later, a quaint house with a barn and corral just outside of town. Liam gently urged Niall into bed. 

“You three share it,” he murmured. “I’ll take the floor. I’m going to go get some water; we all need to drink plenty. And I think boiling it with honey is something my ma said would help with the sore throats.” 

Harry nodded her agreement, having heard Nana say the same, but she was too busy coughing up dark tinged spittle. “Aye, honey,” she managed to rasp. All of them had a lingering cough, and all seemed to be stained gray from head to toe. They could use a bath, but they were too exhausted. 

Louis disappeared for a minute while Niall and Harry used the wash basin to clean their faces before settling onto the bed. When she returned, she had a bowl of warm water and a cloth. She gently took Harry’s feet and started dabbing them clean, tutting sympathetically as Harry hissed in discomfort. Louis removed the gravel and dirt from the scrapes as best she could, careful not to disrupt the mild burns too much. Over all they were swollen and achy, reddened and blistered, and it was just now hitting Harry how badly they hurt. Adrenaline had kept the pain at bay, but as she gradually calmed down her body stopped protecting her. 

“Thank you,” Harry whispered as Louis finished and gently wrapped them in clean cloth. 

“Of course, dove. We’ll figure out something better to put on them later,” Louis promised, kissing her cheek before crawling into the middle of the bed, tucked between Harry and Niall. 

“Ni, love?” Louis asked softly. “It’s gonna be ok, you know? I won’t let them get away with this. We’ll rebuild, just like it was.” 

Niall sniffed and turned on her side to hug Louis tightly. “It feels like he’s gone all over again,” she whispered. “It’s not fair. I’m not even sure if we’ll have the funds to rebuild, the safe in my office had most of our money. Lucas was skeptical of banks.”

Louis nodded and kissed the top of her singed hair. “We will go back and look today. Don’t you worry,” she promised. “We’ll find a way.” 

The four of them slept through the day and the night, save brief periods of coughing or getting up to eat. News came that evening that while one missing toddler had been found wandering a few blocks away, having been frightened of the chaos, the rest were presumed dead: three were guests at the hotel, and two were Niall’s staff. Considering the magnitude of the blaze, it was a miracle that more people didn’t perish in the flames. 

It was the New Year before the women had the strength to venture back to the hotel and sift through the ruins. They found Nialls safe still intact, but when they managed to get it open they found the cash inside had been destroyed by the heat, so they were left with the small amount of gold hidden away in there. 

There was a memorial for the people who had died in the flames, and Niall made sure to pay the families of her deceased employees as much as she could spare from the gold, to compensate for the wages lost. 

It was at the memorial that the sheriff first approached Harry. She was still stiff and sore, her feet only half healed, but the poultice she kept on them helped. Louis was away chatting with a few other townspeople, leaving Harry alone with the man. 

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” he greeted, tipping his hat with a charming smile. He was older, 40 or 50, with a salt-and-pepper beard and a weathered face. He was good looking enough, but something about his presence set Harry on edge. 

“Good afternoon, Sheriff.” Harry returned his smile. Several ladies in town had donated old dresses and shoes to her and Niall (and Louis, but those had been politely declined), and Harry had dyed one of those black for mourning. It wasn’t the most flattering, just a bit too wide and a bit too short, but she could let the hem out later. 

“Terrible business, just terrible. Happened to the nicest folks too, Mrs. Tomlinson’s hotel was the heart of the town.” 

Harry nodded. “Indeed. Niall is heartbroken, even more so for the employees she lost. She considered them family.”

The sheriff hummed. “Well I understand you were staying there. If I may be so bold, you are welcome to stay with me if you need. It uh… it could use a woman’s touch, so to speak, but it is large and comfortable.”

“I thank you kindly, Sheriff, but I’m getting along just fine with Niall and Louis. We’re staying with Deputy Payne, for now. He’s a close family friend,” Harry said politely. “I imagine Louis will set to building us a small homestead soon. We try to keep the family together, you understand.” 

“I see, I see. You and Ms. Tomlinson, you’re family then?”

“Distant cousins on my mothers side,” Harry lied. “We’re the last remaining kin, unfortunately.” 

The sheriff cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that, ma’am. Forgive me for being so forward, but surely living in the same town is close enough for kin? I uh, I have yet to take a wife, and find that my home is lonely at night with only the dog. Yours is a beauty I’ve not seen the like of, and I understand you were helping to run the hotel. Surely running a home would be simple, after that. If need be, I’m sure we could add rooms on for Ms. Tomlinson…It’s no good, a fine young woman such as yourself being without a man.” 

Harry managed to school her face into a neutral mask and prevent the laughter from bubbling up in her throat. “Oh, Sheriff.” She pretended to blush and duck her head. “I thank you, you are too kind. You will forgive me for not consenting? It’s so sweet of you to offer your home to me, but I fear this has been a shock to my family and I think it best I stay with them for now.”

The sheriff, to his credit, took the rejection gracefully. “I understand, ma’am. I hope you reconsider. I am sure the offer will still stand whenever you are ready.” 

Oh, the dear, sweet, stupid old man. Harry took pity on him and kissed his cheek. “I will keep that in mind, Sheriff. You are a kind man.” She smiled sweetly and excused herself, going to find Niall and Liam. She didn’t leave the sides of her companions for the rest of the day, always tucked close to the deputy or her lover or her newfound sister. She didn’t much fancy having to turn down any more proposals today, at a memorial service of all places. 

That night, they found themselves again in the saloon, dressed back in more comfortable clothes. Harry found herself adopting some of Louis’ look, taking some of Liam’s old clothes and hemming them to fit. She had on some nice dark denim pants that were popular with the miners, and a pale blue shirt tucked into them. Her brown curls were in twin braids down her back, and Louis had only stammered a little when she first saw her. They were at the card tables again, and she was slowly getting the hang of the game, what with Louis’ subtle tips. 

Danny and his brother were back again, but sticking to the bar and not starting any trouble with Louis this time. Harry was grateful- it had been a taxing day, and she was not sure how Louis would take to an argument just now. Too eagerly, probably.

Louis stood to go fetch another drink from the bar, and Harry watched cautiously as the woman seemed to lean towards the drunk men. She stiffened visibly as the men muttered something and began laughing, and Harry found herself resting a hand on the six-shooter that Louis had been teaching her to fire. Louis did not further react, however, and returned before long with a fresh drink. Harry stole a sip of it with a playful wink. 

“Are you ok, Lou?” she asked softly, brows furrowed at the tight look on her lover’s face. “What’s the matter? What did they say?”

“Nothing, dove,” Louis soothed, her poker face back in place and serving dual purpose now. “Don’t fret over it.” 

Harry wasn’t convinced, but turned back to her cards, deciding she would try again when they were home. 

They called it a night a few hours later, after watching Danny and his brother stagger out of the bar ahead of them. Louis helped Harry onto Lucky before swinging into Birdy’s own saddle. 

“You go on home,” Louis told Harry softly, nodding towards where Niall and Liam were already riding in that direction. “I’ve got to take care of something.”

“I’ll come with you,” Harry offered. “You shouldn’t be alone this late.” 

“No, Harry. Go on home,” Louis said firmly, almost harshly. “I’ll be along shortly.” 

Harry flinched, brows knitted together. Louis never took that tone with her. “Fine,” she said shortly. “Hurry, then.” She trotted after Liam and Niall, a little hurt that Louis wouldn’t tell her what was going on.

She barely registered Louis climbing into bed beside her a few hours later, hardly stirred from her sleep as the shorter woman curled around her. Louis never quite fell asleep, muscles taut and tense. 

It was early the next morning when Harry stirred to the sound of fists on the front door and found Louis sitting on the edge of the bed, head in her hands. “I’m sorry, dove,” Louis whispered. 

“What have you done?” Harry whispered, taking Louis hands and finding scraped knuckles. 

“They were going to burn this place next,” Louis said hoarsely. “I heard them laughing about the hotel and mentioning the deputy’s house. I did what I had to.” 

Harry could hear Liam opening the door. “What’s this about, Sheriff?” he asked, voice thick with sleep. 

“Louis, you didn’t…” Harry’s eyes filled with tears. “Damn you, Louis Tomlinson. They’ll hang you. Didn’t you think of that?”

The sheriff appeared in the doorway then, Liam and Niall behind him with identical shocked looks on their faces. “Louis, Daniel and Selah House were found dead this morning. One shot each, though there was a sign of a bit of a struggle with Selah. You were known to have a… history with them. Do you have any idea what might have happened to them?”

Louis raised an eyebrow. “By history, do you mean they murdered my twin brother, burned his hotel in an attempt to kill my family, and threatened to burn us here in Liam’s home? I heard them confess it, sheriff. Yet still they walk free.”

“Well, they ain’t walking anymore,” the sheriff said. “Louis Tomlinson, unless you can provide some solid alibi to explain those wounds on your hands, I am placing you under arrest for their murder.”

Louis sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, my dove,” she whispered quietly, standing and allowing the sheriff to place handcuffs on her, face stoney as Harry’s tears began flowing freely. 

“Damn you, Louis. Damn you to hell,” Harry choked out. “Damn you, damn you, damn you…” 

Niall went to Harry’s side and wrapped her in a blanket, holding her tightly as Louis was forced to walk the distance into town with the sheriff holding her chains from his horse. 

“Shh, Harry. Hush, now love,” Niall soothed. “Don’t you worry. We’ll figure something out.”

“They’ll hang her,” Harry choked out. “They’ll hang her for this. I can’t go without her, Niall, I can’t. I love her.”

“I know, darling. I know. Deep breaths for me please. Come on now, just lie down. We’ll work something out.” 

[ _**gun in my hand - dorothy** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/52gbcP8Uumg34r2hxv24n1?si=08rQZdEORvmHMEK-4NAV1w)

Harry tilted her hat against the morning sun as she rode into town a week later, Niall beside her on a stocky gray and white pony she called Cloud. Birdy trailed behind them, her lead held loosely in Niall’s hand. Both women were dressed to the nines, though not in a ladylike way: they wore black vests over starched white collars, embroidered delicately with roses and thorns. Supple calfskin chaps protected their legs, and the horse’s tack had been polished until it shone. A pair of irons were buckled to Harry’s hip, a single six-shooter on Niall’s. It was a Sunday, so most of the town was in church. The streets were eerily quiet as such, the only sound coming from the steady plod of horse hooves on the dry earth. 

The women came to a halt outside the sheriff’s office, and Harry dismounted with ease. She left Lucky standing loose, reins draped over his neck, as she quietly walked into the musty room. 

“Miss Styles,” the sheriff greeted. “A pleasant surprise. I would have thought you would be in church with the rest of the ladies.”

“I fear I had other business this morning, sheriff,” Harry said simply, seeing movement out of the corner of her eye. It was Louis, in her cell, watching with rapt attention. “I have considered your offer, you see. You’re right, it is no good to live in these parts without a man’s protection.”

He seemed to perk up at that. “Why, Miss Styles, I am glad you have come to your senses. I take it you mean to accept my offer then? I trust you will not dress this way once we are wed; a woman’s garb is dresses, not this costume.”

Harry took a few steps towards him, closing the distance between them. “I do, sheriff,” she murmured, smiling sweetly. “And I promise to dress in my Sunday best for you every day.” She bent down as if to kiss him, before quietly drawing one of her guns and pressing it into this belly. “Unlock the cell,” she commanded softly, feeling the shock and fear radiating off of him. “Now.”

The portly man fumbled for his keys, and Harry kept the gun pressed to the small of his back as he managed to swing Louis’ cell door open. With that, Harry pistol-whipped him and sent him sprawling, unconscious, into the cell Louis had previously occupied, and locked him in.

“God I love you,” Louis breathed. “You look incredible.” She kissed Harry hungrily. 

“I’m still furious with you, Louis Tomlinson,” Harry said, though she did not protest the kiss. “Come, quickly. We need to get out of here.” 

The women ran from the office, finding Niall still waiting with an anxious look on her face. She sighed in relief as they appeared and quickly mounted their horses. 

The trio spurred their mounts to a gallop, heading down the main road and out of town as quickly as they could. They needed to put as much space between them and Sacramento as possible, before church let out and people realized what had happened. They headed due north, finding a creek and riding downstream through the creekbed to throw off their tracks. They stopped to let the horses rest and drink, and Louis changed into fresh clothes, a getup that matched Harry and Niall. 

They headed east from there, at a steady jog rather than a gallop. They needed to maintain the horses strength. “Where is Liam?” Louis asked, leading the little posse. 

“He was going to stay behind to throw them off track, maybe send them looking in the wrong direction, but we figured he would be suspected since he was so close to us. He set out last night with a pack horse and supplies to meet us at the base of the Sierras,” Harry said. “He said you would know where he means.”

“Aye.” Louis nodded. “It’s about a two day ride if we aren’t delayed,” she said. “And if they don’t catch us. Liam is just about the best tracker that town has, though, so we should be alright.” 

Harry nodded, smiling over at Louis. “What do we do now, then, since you’re a wanted woman?” she asked. 

“We’re probably wanted now too,” Niall pointed out, grinning at Harry. “We just attacked a sheriff and broke a prisoner loose.” 

Harry laughed. “It’s all a bit of an adventure, isn’t it? Do you suppose they’ll give us a nickname in the papers?”

“Maybe so.” Louis grinned and shook her head, nudging Birdy to a lope as they reached an open stretch of land. Niall and Harry did the same, slowing back down to a walk as they reached wooded covering a while later. 

They stopped late that evening under a large willow tree on the bank of a river, the dangling leaves sheltering them from sight. They rubbed down their horses and let them drink their fill, loosening their tack but not daring to remove it. They didn’t make a fire that evening, curled together under blankets instead as Louis took first watch. 

“I’m sorry, dove,” she whispered, glancing up as Harry joined her a few minutes later, unable to sleep. Despite Harry’s smiles and jokes as they rode that day, she had been reserved, almost chilly towards Louis at times. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I did it, I didn’t stop to think how it would affect you.” 

“No, you didn’t,” Harry said, sighing heavily as she sank down to sit on the cool stone beside Louis. “It would’ve killed me, Louis. To see you hanged? It would have ripped me apart.”

“I know that now. Part of me was still holding on to this little doubt that maybe you’d find someone better than me, someone who could marry you and give you babies and make you happy. And that little part of me said you would be ok, eventually. That you might be sad, but that you would learn to move on,” Louis confessed. 

“Oh, Louis,” Harry whispered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Louis’ ear. “There is no one on this earth that I could love how I love you. You’re it for me.” She allowed a small smile. “You heard the sheriff propose to me, didn’t you?”

“Maybe,” Louis laughed. “He’d be a good match. You’d keep him honest.” 

Harry scoffed. “He’s old! And a man! And he would’ve hanged you, I could never have married him if he did that.”

“Ok, ok,” Louis consented. “I really am sorry, you know. Not for killing them, but for putting myself at risk.”

“I forgive you,” Harry said softly, leaning over to kiss Louis. “I can’t sleep without you, so I’ll curl up here for now.” She did just that, and was asleep within moments.

They rode through the river again the next morning, startling a herd of deer that had come to get a morning drink. After an hour or so trekking through the water they turned due east again, sticking mostly to game trails in hopes of limiting the tracks they left. They didn’t press their mounts as hard, half because it was impossible against the terrain and half because Louis assured them no one knew the woods half as well as she did, and the dogs available to track them were a sorry sort that would have lost them in the first stream. 

It was nearly midnight that evening when they reached the spot Louis indicated- a cave hardly noticeable to any passing by, one that appeared too small for anyone to enter. It was just wide enough for a horse to fit in, though they had to dismount and lead the horses in to do so. It opened to a cavernous room, large and airy. Their footsteps seemed to echo around them, making the horses jittery. It was there that they found Liam, with his Lassie and a pack pony as well, a small fire lit. 

“Was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it,” Liam confessed as they all embraced. 

“And what would you have done if that had been the case?” Louis asked playfully. 

“I told the sheriff I was going hunting for a week.” Liam shrugged. “Figured I’d wait here three or four days, look for you on the way back in case you got lost, and bag a deer or two. If I come back and you’re gone, I play at going out to track you, if I come back and you’ve been hanged, I mourn you.” 

“Practical as ever.” Louis snorted. “What’s the plan now?” 

“Well, it’s too early in the spring to make it over the Sierras.” Liam sighed. “Warm enough down here, but there’s still a good few months of snowfall before they’re passable. I reckon we head south, down towards Mexico. You’re sure you weren’t followed here?”

Louis considered his words while Harry and Niall tended the horses. “That seems as good a plan as any,” she agreed. “And I’m fairly sure. Back-tracked a few times, rode through water and over stone where we could. All the decent men are up prospecting anyhow, the sheriff will be hard pressed to find good men and good dogs to track us.”

“Good.” Liam nodded, pulling out some rations from the spare pony he had brought and passing them around. “Welcome to the fugitive life, ladies. I must admit, this was not a situation I ever thought to find myself in.”

Louis laughed hollowly, thinking of the way the light had left Danny’s eyes. She found she didn’t regret it, not even a little, that it barely evened the score for what he and his brother had done to her family. She did regret making life more difficult for Harry and Niall though; this was not something they had ever wished to do. 

They bunkered down in the cave that evening, sleeping peacefully with the smooth walls protecting them from both wind and foe. They kept watch in turns, not wanting to risk being crept up on, but no threats arose besides a curious young coyote at the mouth of the cave during Louis’ watch. She scared it off with a single thrown stone, and nothing else of note occurred. 

They packed up quickly the next morning, eating a small breakfast and leading their ponies back out the way they came before mounting up and heading out at a quiet trot, south along the Sierra Nevadas, with no sign of the sheriff or his posse. 

It took them about five weeks to reach the border between Texas and Mexico, though ‘border’ was a loose term for it. While news had recently reached them that the United States had made claim of the territory, it was still mostly settled by it’s original inhabitants. 

“I think we should settle somewhere,” Harry had announced as they sat around a small fire towards the end of the journey. “Texas, maybe, or Kansas. Somewhere that no one would know us. We could just build a house and farm and raise cattle.”

She had been tired at that time, a bit weepy and in one of her rare bad moods. 

“Dove, we don’t have the money,” Louis had reminded gently, squeezing Harry’s hand. “Even if we found a place, we couldn’t buy cattle, or seed to plant.”

Harry had jerked her hand away and walked off, going to where the horses were hobbled and wiping away furious tears.

Louis sighed and glanced at Niall, who shrugged and went back to mending a shirt. Liam was of no help either, simply stirring whatever he was concocting in the kettle over the fire. 

Louis pushed her way to her feet, spurs tinkling quietly as she followed slowly after Harry. She wanted to give the girl some time to herself, but even more so wanted to rectify whatever Harry was upset about. 

“I’m sorry, my love,” Louis whispered, reaching out hesitantly for Harry’s waist. She withdrew before they made contact, however, and sighed heavily. “I’ve yet to make good on a promise I’ve made you. Our home has burned, we haven’t settled. I’m sorry.”

Harry shook her head, sniffing as she stopped twisting tiny braids into Lucky’s mane. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just… tired, I think. I know that all those things will come with time. I didn’t mean to be upset with you.” She finally turned to face Louis, who reached up to wipe a tear away with her thumb before gently kissing away the rest. 

“Don’t be sorry. You’re allowed to feel anything you want at me.” Louis smiled softly. “Just let me know, hmm? Tell me if you need space, or reassurance, or anything.” 

Harry nodded and slipped her arms around Louis’ waist, hugging her tightly. They stayed like that for a long while, before finally rejoining the others at the fire. 

Shockingly, it was Harry again who now voiced her thoughts as they stared down at thousands of cows being watered along the Rio Grande by a dozen vaqueros. It was late afternoon, the sun low in the sky and threatening to set.

“Let’s take some,” she blurted. “Just… thirty or so head. They won’t miss them, look how many there are.” 

“Hustling cattle’s a capitol offence, dove,” Louis reminded gently. 

“So is murder.” Harry cocked an eyebrow at her companion in a silent challenge. “Besides, we’re on the Mexican side of the river. Once we get them on the American side, who’s to say who the cattle belong to?”

“I don’t know,” Liam said uncomfortably, playing with a small piece of Lassie’s mane. “They outnumber us down there.”

“So we’re quiet.” Harry shrugged. “We’ve got the upper ground, we can see if there are any gaps in where they’re guarding, slip in, cut off a portion, and slip out. We can outrun them with 30 head faster than they can 300. Besides.” She squinted. “I think I see at least two brands. They probably hustled these themselves.”

Louis squinted too, but her eyes weren’t as good as Harry’s. “I dunno, dove.” She sighed, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. 

“Do you have a better idea?” Harry asked. “Because right now, we’re on the run with nothing to our name.”

“Fuck it,” Niall said suddenly. “Harry’s right. What do we have to lose?”

“Our lives?” Louis supplied helpfully.

“When did you become the sensible one?” Liam asked playfully. “I dunno, I say we watch tonight. If the opportunity presents itself… sure, let’s give it a shot.” 

“We’ll drive them straight north, sell most and keep a few head to breed,” Harry decided. “Fort Laramie, maybe?” 

“I have a better idea,” Louis finally spoke up. “We head north, but not with cattle. We’ll do a few small robberies. Trains, banks and such. Hit them and be gone before they realize. We stash the loot, ration it, hide out until our names aren’t circulating too much, then buy a piece of land, and seed, and cattle. We can say our money was in gold, back in California.”

“So you’ll steal money, but not cows?” Harry asked with a laugh. “But hell, why not. Sounds like an adventure.”

Liam and Niall both nodded their agreement. 

“Sounds like a good plan to me. Mind if I tag along?”

The four companions wheeled their ponies at the sudden voice, Harry and Louis both with guns drawn- Louis had been teaching Harry how to quick draw, and she was a sure shot.

They found a thin girl with dark eyes and darker hair, braided down her back. She was mounted on a tall golden horse with a pale mane and tail, a stark contrast to her. “You can put the guns down,” she said calmly. “I’m Zayn. Zayn Malik.” 

Neither Harry nor Louis did so. “Pleased to meet you, Zayn Malik,” Louis said carefully. “What can I do for you?”

“A way out would be nice.” Zayn shrugged casually. She was dressed well enough, in jeans and chaps just like the rest of them. “My husband, down there,” she nodded towards the cattle, “Isn’t the most pleasant of men. And I’d rather not spend my days driving stolen cattle.” 

“Why are you?” Harry asked, brow furrowed. Zayn was beautiful, strikingly so. Not quite what Harry had expected to see on the trail, but she supposed she couldn’t judge- Liam was the only man among her companions. 

“He’s a jealous sort.” Zayn shrugged. “My father married me off to him, and he hasn’t quite let me leave his side since. Uses me as a lookout for the gang, says I’m quiet. I saw you lot right off, you weren’t very subtle.”

“It sounds to me like he’d ride us down if you left with us,” Liam said with an eyebrow raised. “Not a conflict I’d like to get in the middle of.” 

“Let him,” Zayn muttered. “I’m done with him. Besides, what can one man do against five? His boys are here for the cattle; they won’t go off chasing me and lose out on their money. He’s got poor eyesight and poorer intellect. The only reason they listen to him is ‘cause he’s mean.” 

Harry glanced over her shoulder warily, listening for anyone else that might sneak up on them if this was a trap. “Your call, Lou,” she murmured. 

[ **_broken bones - KALEO_ ** ](https://open.spotify.com/track/0lwUIYJfWGB8qUEAJtYfb6?si=IOBMXyI0SN-vyyoNUfDgmA)

Louis considered the woman, blue eyes narrowed. “We ride hard and long, Zayn Malik,” she finally said. “You had best keep up. We won’t wait. I am Louis Tomlinson. My companions are my sister-by-law Niall, my good friend Liam Payne, and my lover Harry Styles. If you take issue with any of us, feel free to stay with your mean, jealous husband.”

Zayn barely blinked at the information. “This trail leads down a valley that borders the river. It follows it for a ways and will keep us out of sight of the men. There’s a shallow spot where we crossed two days past; we can lose our tracks amongst their old ones. We’ll reach it much more swiftly than they did with all those cows.” 

Louis narrowed her eyes, unsure if they were being lead into a trap. She glanced around at her companions, who all nodded imperceptibly, before consenting. They outnumbered her, and Louis would keep her gun drawn. It was as good a plan as any. 

Zayn lead them straight and true, along the bank of the river and downstream from the cattle hustlers. She was quiet, but they all were, what with being in such close proximity to potential conflict. They rode through the night and found the crossing point by dawn, having heard shouting at nightfall. They knew Zayn was gone. “Voices carry better across water,” Zayn had explained softly. “They’re not as close as they sound.” 

They swam their horses across with little difficulty and broke into a jog once they were northbound, before stopping around noon to rest. It was too hot to ride hard, and they were all exhausted after having ridden through the night. There was no sign of the hustlers, and Zayn seemed to relax more with every passing minute.

“Why are you folks on the run, anyway?” she asked casually, eyes half shut under the brim of her hat. “Bit of an unusual sight, three women in men’s clothes and a lone man, all out in the middle of nowhere.”

“Broke Louis out of jail,” Niall answered mildly. “After she shot a man for killing my husband and burning my hotel.” 

“Her brother?” Zayn assumed, humming after she got a nodded confirmation. “Seems a reasonable course of action to me. The law would do better to just stay out of a man’s private quarrels.”

Louis laughed softly, her head on Harry’s stomach as they lay sprawled out together, under the shade of a mesquite bush. “I appreciate that Zayn. You’re damn right.” 

With that, the five became fast friends. They rode north through the dry Texas desert, living off the occasional game that they could shoot. Zayn showed them which cactus were good to slice open and drink from when water was scarce, and shared anecdotes of her husband’s cattle rustling operation. 

“It’s dangerous, more so than stealing money, I think.” She confessed. “If a rancher knows he’s been stolen from, it’s easier for him to follow the tracks of a small herd than a few people on horseback. And the brands are basically proof that they were his. I think robbing banks and trains is the better way to do things. Instant reward, too. You don’t have to worry about reselling the cattle.”

They were travelling through Kansas when Harry scraped up against a thorny bush while gathering firewood for the evening. She didn’t think much of it at first; past the initial pout at the tear in her shirt, she hardly paid it any mind. She had mostly forgotten about it, until two days later when she noticed how it ached more than it should when she pressed the skin around it. Not wanting to worry her companions, she ignored it, only wrapping it with a simple poultice that night when she found it turning red. 

It was two days after that when she woke, feeling achy all over, but she went through the motions of breaking down camp and mounting Lucky, trusting the steady mount to keep her safe as she shivered with chills. She brushed Louis’ concerned gaze off, saying she just hadn’t slept well, was tired, but by midday her vision was hazy and her head spun. She wasn’t sure which way was up or down, and instead slumped over Lucky’s neck as the edges of her sight went black. 

“Harry?” she heard a distant voice, felt a cold hand on her neck. “She’s burning up, she’s ill. Damn it.” She felt hands on her skin and nearly jolted awake with pain when the fingers found her bandage, discharge now seeping through. 

“Fuck,” a different voice swore. “Louis, she needs a doctor or she’ll lose that arm, look at it. She’s sick with it. Why didn’t she say anything?”

“Because it’s Harry and god forbid she not be the one taking care of everyone. She worries about us so much, she forgets to worry about herself. What’s the nearest city?”

“Independence,” Louis and Zayn said in unison, Zayn neutral and Louis grim. 

“Thirty miles east, maybe forty. She has family there,” Louis supplied. 

“We take her there, then,” Liam decided. “Louis, you stay- we don’t know how far word will have traveled about you.”

“By that logic, I’m the one that should go,” Zayn argued. “All of you helped in her escape.”

Louis was already dismounting Birdy and scrambling up behind Harry. “She can’t sit a horse, she needs someone to ride with her. I’m the smallest. Lucky knows where home is. Keep heading north, I’ll find you.” 

It was the tone she adopted when her mind was made up. Without another word, the trio was left to watch Louis wheel Lucky off towards Missouri, Birdy following close behind, her lead tied to Louis’ waist. 

“Just hang on, darling. We’ll get you a doctor,” Louis whispered, not allowing herself to feel the panic that was setting in. She gave Lucky his head; she didn’t want to wear him out, especially with two riders, but the horse seemed to sense the urgency and picked up an easy lope. 

Harry drifted in and out of consciousness for the next four and a half hours, feeling the rocking of Lucky’s gait as he would slow to rest or pick up again on flatter terrain, Birdy behind them all the while. She thought she could hear Louis speaking, demanding that Harry stay present, that she get better. All she really wanted was to rest, though. Just to sleep. She wanted Nana, too, the woman always eased Harry’s pain.

“No, Harry, you have to stay awake. We’ll find Nana,” Louis said firmly. Had she said that out loud?

The lights of Independence were visible now, and Lucky picked up a lope again. He was drenched in sweat but still going strong, as fit and hardy as a horse could be. Seeming to know where they were, he trotted through the streets and deposited Louis at a stately white home, breathing hard.

“Miss Harry?” a voice called, perplexed, from the barn. Louis turned towards the voice, finding a graying man stepping into the light. “Lucky?”  
  
The horse whickered and Louis slid out of the saddle, gently pulling Harry down with her. “She needs a doctor,” Louis managed to get out, her voice dry with dust. 

“Oh, lord,” the man spoke, looking at the way Harry sagged in Louis’ arms. “In here, come on now.”

“Thank you,” Louis choked, the tears finally flooding. 

“Nana!” The man called into the house, leading Louis through the kitchen. “Nana, come quick.

[ **wildflowers - the wailin' jennys** ](https://open.spotify.com/track/46Nz7uguhTyUWOXhRBbzxa?si=xrQarOMjSEyuk_FKc4cCcw)

“Bobby, what now? I told you- oh, lord above, Miss Harry,” Nana whispered, standing with her hand over her mouth in the kitchen doorway. “In here, come. Put her down here.” She cleared things out of the way and helped Louis settle the pale woman on the couch. 

“I’ll go tend the horses,” Bobby said, wringing his hands anxiously. He gave both a stall and a warm mash, and small amounts of water so they didn’t overfill their bellies. 

“What happened to her? Who are you?” Nana demanded of Louis, undressing the wound and hissing, tutting and tossing the bandage aside. 

“‘M Louis,” she croaked out, tears streaking down her cheeks. “She said it was just a scratch, that it was nothing, but today she just… collapsed.” A sob broke it’s way from Louis’ chest. 

Nana glanced at the girl sharply, shaking her head. “Of course you’s Louis. You’re lucky Miss Styles out the house today. Your warrant came with the same batch of mail as her letter. Go get me a bowl of hot water and some cloth from the kitchen. Honey, too. And cold water, while you’s at it, she’s burnin’ up. Ask Bobby for his whiskey.” 

“Yes ma’am,” Louis croaked, and if Nana laughed at being addressed that way, Louis wasn’t around to hear it. She ran to the kitchen, finding several bowls and setting them on the table, tossing clean rags in them as well. She found a pail of water by the door in the kitchen, filled one of the bowls and set another to boiling over the fire in the hearth before going to find Bobby. 

She returned to Nana a few minutes later, arms full, finding Harry still unconscious. 

“Get some cool cloths on her head and feet,” Nana ordered, taking the hot water and gently beginning to clean away the debris from Harry’s wound, tutting all the while. Harry moaned and stirred at the pain, and it was all Louis could do to keep from crying again. 

“Shh, dove. You’re alright,” Louis soothed, pushing Harry’s unruly hair out of the way and laying damp cloths over her fiery skin. 

Nana continued to wipe away the debris with hot water, hardly looking up as Harry squirmed in discomfort. Finally she soaked a cloth in whiskey, pressing it into the wound. Harry nearly woke at that, crying out and jolting on the couch. Fresh tears lit in Louis’ eyes and she held Harry down, pressing a kiss to her fevered head. Nana blotted it a few more times with the whiskey before smearing a bit of honey into the wound and binding it with the last cloth. 

“All I can do for now,” Nana whispered.

Louis hardly heard her, too busy gently braiding Harry’s hair into a neat plait, dabbing at her face and neck with a cool cloth. 

“Stupid, stupid girl,” Louis whispered, kissing Harry’s forehead. “You know better. Can’t believe you would do this to me. Can’t believe you would let it get this bad. You’ve gotta be strong, dove. You need to get well.” 

Nana shook her head and cleared away the cloths and bandages. “We should get her upstairs,” she murmured. “To a real bed. Bobby can send for the doctor tomorrow.”

“Get who upstairs?” a voice spoke, and a severe looking woman with a tight, graying bun appeared in the doorway to the living room. 

Louis met the gaze of the woman. Where Harry was all crinkled eyes and laugh lines and softness, this woman was deep set eyes and crows feet and an air about her that she was not someone to be trifled with. The resemblance between them, however, was uncanny. This was clearly Harry’s mother. 

“Miss Harriet is home, ma’am, but she’s sick. I fixed her up best I could, she needs rest and prayer, now,” Nana informed softly. 

Ellen Styles seemed frozen in place, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her mouth tightened into a thin line as she rounded to lash out at Louis, but something stopped her. Louis wasn’t sure if it was the tear stained eyes, or the cloth that Louis was still blotting along Harry’s neck, even now, but something in the woman softened. The barest hint of understanding hid behind her steely gray eyes. 

“You had best say your goodbyes. I’ll not be caught harboring a fugitive under my roof. And if the sheriff asks me if I’ve seen you, I’ll not be lying to him.”

Fresh tears leaked from Louis’ eyes. “Yes ma’am,” she whispered, sniffing and kneeling over her lover, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Get well, my dove. Please, Harry,” she whispered, hugging the girl’s warm chest and taking a shaky breath. 

“Nana, get Bobby and get her upstairs. You, out. Go back to wherever you came from,” Ellen barked.

The moment was gone, and Louis squeezed her eyes shut. “I love you, Harriet. To California and back. To the moon and back. Get well, my dove.” She forced herself to stand and leave out the kitchen the way she came, not daring to look back. 

She went to the barn and furiously wiped away her tears, taking a deep breath and beginning to saddle Birdy again. She glanced at Lucky and felt renewed tears spill. He had carried them so far, he had tried his heart out. She couldn’t stop her feet from moving to his stall and wrapping her arms around his still-sweaty neck. “You did so well, Luck.” she whispered. “Thank you. Take care of her for me.” 

“We’ll send word on Miss Harry’s condition,” came Bobby’s rough voice. “Where…?”

Louis shook her head. “I don’t know where I’ll be. I’ll try to stay close as long as I can.” She rubbed her eyes before giving Lucky a last pat and going to finish tacking Birdy. 

Bobby nodded hesitantly. “You write to Pastor John on Sixth Street when you’s settled, then. He’ll find me.” 

“Thank you.” Louis’ voice broke. “Take.. take care of her. And Lucky. If she lives, we’ve that horse to thank.”

Bobby nodded. “Godspeed, Miss Louis,” he said, opening the barn door as Louis mounted Birdy. She tucked her hat low over her eyes, hoping to conceal her identity as well as her red-rimmed eyes. She set out of town at a quick trot, mindful that though Birdy hadn’t had a rider, she had still kept pace with Lucky the whole way. 

[ _**wayfaring stranger - johnny cash** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/6H7zxGWpEkXSGTs7sp0IHv?si=2bF_JplASlC-05F2Ke9qxg)

Once they were out of town, Louis could think about slowing back to a walk. She set out due west, the way they came from, figuring she could at least find their last camp and track her companions north from there. With every step Birdy took, Louis felt her heart break just a little more, but she wasn’t sure if there were tears left to spill. 

It took her a day and a half to find Liam, Niall, and Zayn. No one had come riding after her, so she didn’t push Birdy hard, sticking to a walk or a jog. She found the campsite they had made what felt like ages ago and turned due north from there, relieved to find that her companions had made no effort to hide their route. She was a decent tracker usually, but her heart was heavy and her eyes puffy with tears. She couldn’t find it in herself to invest any effort in the chase. She rode up to the small fire at dusk, not even bothering to call out a greeting. Liam greeted her with a drawn gun until he recognized Birdy. 

Louis felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw the man she considered her brother. She saw the way he was looking for a second rider and the way his face changed, the way his soft brown eyes filled with grief. “Lou…”

The tears started spilling again then, and she dismounted Birdy, staggering forward weakly. It was then she realized she hadn’t eaten, had hardly drank, since leaving the day before. Liam caught her and hugged her close, guiding her closer to the fire. Niall and Zayn descended on her then, pressing water into her hands, smoothing hands over her back, wiping the tears from under her eyes. 

“What happened, Lou?” Liam prompted quietly, squeezing her hand. 

Louis shook her head, forcing a deep breath. “I got her home,” she whispered. “She was alive when I left, but. I don’t know.” Her voice broke. “The fever, she was burning up. Her mother came home and recognized me. I had to leave. I don’t… I don’t know if she’ll make it.” 

Liam gathered her into a tight hug, letting her cry into his chest. Niall was wiping her own tears away, keeping quiet so as not to take attention from Louis. The four wound up holding on to each other, reassuring whispers barely heard over the crackling of the fire. 

“She’s strong,” Zayn said, with some finality. The girl was always the quietest of the group, and Louis found herself nodding along, convinced by the dark haired runaway’s confidence. “She’ll be ok. She’s strong.”

It was three days before Harry’s fever broke, and a fourth before she woke. Her mother was at her side, dabbing gently at her forehead, while Nana changed the bandage again. The discharge was clearing, the redness fading, though the wound still looked angry, far worse than the thin cut it had started as. Harry’s eyes fluttered open and she swallowed thickly, wincing at the dry feeling in her throat. 

“Water,” she croaked, hardly noticing how the women gasped and sat her up gently, allowing a little stream to trickle down her throat. 

  
“Slowly, Harriet,” her mother whispered when Harry tried to take more. “Not so fast, now.”

Harry’s eyes focused on Ellen, confused. “Mother?” She croaked. “Where… where am I? Where’s Louis?”

“Louis brought you here,” the older woman said, trying and failing not to let the distaste show on her face. “You were on death’s door, Harriet. You’ve been unconscious for days. Maybe now you’ll think twice before gallivanting off with criminals. It will be hard enough to find you a husband with the way you ran off last year, imagine if word gets out who you were with.”

Harry stared blankly, lacking the energy to argue with her mother. She just took the cup of water and swallowed the rest, sighing heavily and sinking back down against the pillow. “Nana?” she whispered, smiling softly at the maid. 

“It’s good to see you awake, Miss Harriet.” Nana squeezed the girl’s hand. “You best stay quiet now; you still need your rest.” Her knowing brown eyes met Harry’s, something like pity or sorrow filling them. 

Ellen cleared her throat awkwardly, feeling the tension from the fact her own daughter seemed to be ignoring her. “Well. I have been putting off my meetings since you have been home, I had best go attend to business, the ladies will be wondering where I’ve been,” she said brusquely, standing and turning towards the door. She hesitated, turning back towards Harry and bending to kiss her forehead. “I’m glad you’re home, Harriet. I worried for you. Rest well.”

  
  


Harry watched her mother leave, confusion clear in her eyes. That was the closest thing to motherly she could remember the woman being in years. She shook her head softly before turning back to Nana. “Louis…?” 

Nana sighed. “She had to leave, Miss Harry, or the sheriff woulda found her. She… she was real tore up about the state you was in. She loves you very much, it’s plain as day. Bobby told her to write the Pastor when she could, so that we could let her know if you woke up.”

Harry nodded, tears pricking her eyes. “She can’t write,” she whispered, swallowing thickly. “Niall… Niall can though. Niall will write,” she said with conviction, trying not to linger on the fact she had been abandoned back home. 

“There, now, none of that.” Nana wiped the single tear that leaked from Harry’s eyes. “We’ll tell you, soon as we hear from her. I’m going to go fix you some broth, you need to eat something afore you waste away. Hardly got anything in you while you was asleep.” 

Harry sniffled and nodded, laying back against the pillow. She felt shaky and weak, could feel the way the fever had burned through her. She forced steady breaths through her lungs, trying to piece together clips of blurred memories, of Louis holding on to her as they rode double on Lucky, of fierce demands that Harry stay with her. Visions of the aftermath came too, of Nana tending her, and the vaguest thought of her mother singing quietly and dabbing a cloth at her forehead. 

It was too much all at once, and Harry felt her heart cracking a little as she realized Louis really was gone, that the woman had been unable to stay and tend Harry herself. She felt foolish for getting hurt, foolish for not tending it sooner, foolish for putting herself and her companions at risk, but all she could do was lie there in bed, too weak to move.

Nana returned shortly with a bowl of broth, and carefully fed Harry despite protests that she could do it herself. Harry even managed to eat a few pieces of vegetable floating in the soup, but was half asleep again by the time she finished. Nana tucked her back in, and the next several days passed in much the same fashion. She slept, mostly, but each time she woke she felt more lucid, stronger, back to her old self. She could feed herself by the second day, and was going downstairs to sit in the sunroom by the fourth, under Nana’s careful supervision. She hardly saw her mother; the woman was always bustling in and out of the house on business, but two weeks after she first woke, with the cut nearly completely healed, Ellen arrived with a new dress. 

“You’ve lost so much weight, none of your gowns would fit well,” the woman said brusquely. “You’re strong enough to come to church Sunday, everyone will want to see you well.”

Harry met the woman’s steel gray eyes and sighed. “Yes, mother,” she said quietly, accepting the summer dress. It was a soft cornflower blue, and Harry couldn’t help but associate it with Louis’ eyes. Part of her was excited for a new dress, to feel pretty and sophisticated again, but most of her missed the life she had lead on the road, missed the callouses that had so quickly disappeared from her fingers, missed the fresh air and clear skies that Independence always seemed to be lacking. And if most of her missed the adventure of the territories, every single piece of her ached with how much she missed Louis. 

She could feel the question in Nana’s eyes, could feel the judgement in her mother’s, and every night she felt tears leak onto her pillow as she thought of her lover. Every night, all she could think of was the day Louis first kissed her. _“Nothing that feels as right as this can be unnatural,” Louis murmured gently, tipping Harry’s chin up with one finger._ If nothing that felt that right could be unnatural, then nothing that hurt this much could be anything but heartbreak.

But Ellen was not a woman to argue with, and Harry didn’t know where Louis was, or if she was strong enough to even saddle Lucky, let alone ride him off into the territories alone, so she just took the dress and thanked her mother quietly, and woke with the birds on Sunday morning to do up the small silver buttons and pin her hair just so. It was as if she had been sent back in time a year, as if nothing had ever changed. She walked with her mother through the streets of Independence, admiring the bright dresses and the flashing of metal shoes on the feet of passing horses, and smiled at the thought of sneaking money to kids to treat themselves to some candy. 

They were among the first to the church, and Harry found herself winded from the walk, her strength still not fully returned.

“Sit, Harriet, you look pale,” Ellen instructed, and it was a testament to her mother’s concern that the words even left her lips as several of the ladies she kept company with bustled forward. It would certainly not be polite to be sitting while the women conversed, but Harry was tired enough to settle in the front pew. The women, ever gracious and not the type to dare embarrass Ellen Styles, took places on either side of Ellen and Harry. 

“Harriet, we are so glad to see you here, poor darling. We were so worried for you; your mother said you were quite ill, something you contracted on your way back from abroad,” Tabitha Clarke gushed, taking Harry’s hand and squeezing it. She was one of her mother’s younger cohorts, but among the wealthiest.

Harry’s eyes flicked sharply to her mother, who simply raised one eyebrow as if to say, ‘you really think I would tell them you ran away?’

“Yes, thank you.” Harry forced a smile. “Pardon me for being so rude, I just need to catch my breath. I am still not fully myself.” 

“Oh, no, darling, you must sit. You look faint, I can’t imagine this heat is helping any.” 

Harry allowed the women to fawn over her as she gradually felt her strength return and her breathing even. “You’re too kind, thank you,” she said vaguely, not having really listened to the words leaving the women’s lips. She was saved by the pastor starting the service, and found her thoughts drifting back to the church with stained glass windows. 

The sermon ended, somewhat more tame than some of the lectures Harry remembered, and the congregation spilled out onto the lawn to gossip and socialize. She seemed to be the talk of the town, constantly surrounded by well wishers and the subject of short glances and whispers from the other side of the lawn. Her mother stood close guard, fielding many of the questions, for which Harry was grateful. She was growing tired quickly under the hot summer sun, and she fanned herself lightly as she attempted to make polite conversation. How had she ever managed with these tepid, pointless conversations? Even if she was feeling her best, she didn’t think she would have managed long with this crowd. Everything they were discussing felt pointless after all of her experiences over the past year. Most of these ladies had never left Independence, let alone traveled the territories as Harry had. 

“Ms. Styles, I don’t think I have had the pleasure,” an unfamiliar voice spoke, and Harry turned to find a tall man, taller even than Liam, looking to be in his mid twenties. His accent pegged him as coming from the east coast, likely New York. He was handsome, in an honest way. By no means was he some rare beauty, but he had an olive complexion and large, friendly features that made him look younger than he was. 

“No, I don’t think we’ve met.” Harry smiled sweetly, extending her hand to shake. “Harriet Styles.”

“Oliver Dayton.” He shook her hand, “If I may say, you look absolutely lovely. Your mother said you have been abroad?” His eyes flickered to her lightly tanned skin and freckles, and Harry quickly found the flaw in her mother’s lie- most young ladies sent off to England did not return with darker skin than which they left. 

Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to care. “Yes, I was. It was a lovely adventure, I find travel agreed with me. I was so sorry to have taken ill and had my journey cut short.” 

“I am sorry to hear that as well. You will have to share some stories of your travels sometime. May I offer you and your mother a ride home? I saw you overcome with the walk here this morning; I’ve plenty of room in my carriage.”

Ellen had been eavesdropping subtly, and immediately answered for Harry. “That would be lovely. You’re too kind, Mr. Dayton. We thought Harriet was stronger than she was; she very nearly fainted from the exertion.”

“I did not-” Harry was cut off by a sharp look from her mother. “Thank you, Mr. Dayton. That would be lovely.” 

“No trouble at all,” he said brightly, offering an arm to each lady. “Shall we?”

The women accepted and he escorted them to a small, open carriage parked near the back of the church. He helped Harry and Ellen into the padded passenger seat, and Harry felt her lip twitch up in approval as he got in the driver’s seat himself, though her mother seemed to disapprove of the lack of hired driver. The horse, a tall black specimen, looked well taken care of, and he handled it with a gentle touch. Harry found herself surprisingly taken with the man- not in the way she is with Louis, but he had the same kind, warm energy about him that Liam carried, and she wondered about the man’s story. 

The drive to their house was uneventful, filled with polite chatter. Oliver got off the driver’s seat first to help Harry and Ellen out of the carriage, ever the gentleman, and the ladies invited him in for lunch. 

“I thank you for the invitation, but I am afraid I must decline. I promised my cousin I would spend the afternoon with her family today. I believe there is something of a picnic planned for her youngest son’s birthday.” Oliver smiled. “You will not hold it against me, I hope.” His eyes lingered on Harry, and she smiled and shook her head. 

“Next time, then,” she said kindly, and he flashed a white grin. 

“Next time,” he agreed, escorting them to the front door before bowing off and climbing back into his carriage. 

They hadn’t even made it to the dining table before Ellen voiced her opinions. “If that young man comes to call again, you will not decline, Harriet. He’s about the best match that could be made for you if rumors are true of his wealth. He’s not shown interest in any of the ladies.”

Harry sighed heavily and squeezed her eyes shut. “He was just being polite, mother. If he’s not shown interest in any of the ladies, I doubt he will show any in me.”

“Nonsense. Even sickly, you’re twice the beauty of half the women your age. Why do you think he approached you today if not?”

Harry clenched her jaw. “Because the disappearance and near death of the daughter of Ellen Styles is just about the most interesting thing that has happened in this town in half a decade.”

“Yes, well, I think we both know how I feel about that,” Ellen said stiffly, taking a seat at the table as Nana set the prepared meal in front of them. 

“Yes, mother, I’m sure we do.” Harry scoffed to herself. “I’m not courting anyone. Not Mr. Dayton or anyone else, and you can’t force me to. I’m not staying in this town any longer than I must.” She picked at her lunch. 

Ellen glared at her. “You will court Mr. Dayton or any other suitable match that pursues you. By all means, marry him and have him carry you off to New York or whatever other city you wish, but you will not embarrass me again, Harriet.”

“No, God forbid I embarrass you,” Harry agreed drily, buttering a roll. “My happiness has no importance, just your precious reputation. Maybe you should have told them all I died from that infection and hidden me away, then you would have had all the sympathy and I could leave.” 

“How dare you suggest such a horrible thing,” Ellen said sharply. “I do not want you dead, Harriet.”

“No, just married to a man I will never love, doomed to a miserable existence.” Harry shook her head, over a year of being able to speak her mind with her companions giving her strength against her mother. 

“You can learn to love someone,” Ellen said sharply. “I came to love your father, and that match was made for me.”

“I’ve known love, Mother. Real love. I’m sure you came to love father, but you did not fall in love with him and then get married off to someone else. That is what you are expecting of me,” Harry said, staring down the older woman. “I have known love and freedom, and there is no way I am going to be forced into a matched marriage and caring for a stale city house after knowing I have other options.” 

“I think you are tired by our outing, Harriet, you should go rest,” Ellen said firmly, jaw clenched as she stared at her plate, too angry to meet her daughter’s eyes. 

Harry gladly took advantage, taking two rolls with her and stalking away from the table. She was breathless by the time she reached the top of the stairs and had to sit on her bed as she nibbled at the rolls before changing into an older dress, one she didn’t mind getting dirty, and trudged out to the barn, glad her mother’s office was on the opposite side of the house so that her path wasn’t intercepted. 

Lucky whickered as she pushed the door open, and Harry smiled softly. “Hello, Luck,” she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck and breathing in the smell of dust and hay and horse. “I miss her,” she whispered into his hair, tears pricking her eyes. “She doesn’t even know if I’m alive.” Lucky nudged her as if to agree, and Harry found herself combing all the knots from his mane and tail, grooming him until her hands were caked with dust and her soul was calmer. 

“Miss Harry,” Bobby’s voice startled her from her meditative state. “I been looking for you. The pastor, he gave me this today. Said it was addressed to you.” He held out an envelope, and Harry felt a spark of joy in her heart. 

“Thank you, Bobby,” Harry murmured, taking the paper with shaking hands and sinking into the straw of Lucky’s stall to open it. It was dated several weeks prior, when Harry was still unconscious. 

_Dearest Harry,_

_I write this with a hopeful heart. You were not in a good way when I last saw you, and I can only pray that you have broken your fever and are recovering quickly._

_We wished to stay near Independence, but the risk of being discovered was too great. Your mother recognized Louis from her wanted posters, so it would only be a matter of time before someone else did. We have continued northwest through the Kansas territory, avoiding towns as we can and taking only what we need._

_All of us miss you terribly and can only hope that we will be reunited soon. I pray this letter reaches you and will send more as I can, but post offices are few and far between here. Hopefully I can send word if we find a place we mean to stay a while, to give you a chance to meet us here._

_Louis, as you can imagine, is insufferable without you. The rest of us hold tight to hope that you have survived your infection, but she is almost inconsolable most nights. It is the rage and sorrow she felt for Lucas tenfold, and I do not know how one person can hold this inside her. I pray you send word to ease her mind, or better yet, find us soon so that she does not explode with grief._

_All my love (and Liam’s, and Zayn’s, and most of all Louis’)_

_Your sister Niall_

Harry couldn’t help the tears streaming down her face as she read and reread the letter, before refolding it and tucking it against her chest. She had to find Louis. 

  
  


Oliver came to call two days later, knocking on the door with a single daisy and a request for a walk. Harry was desperate to get out of the house, so she accepted his arm and only blushed a little when he tucked the daisy into her pinned curls. 

“So, Ms. Styles,” he said cheerfully, guiding her through the cobblestone streets. “Remind me where you were abroad, again?”

Harry looked up at him, finding his honey colored eyes twinkling with mischief. He was on to her, she knew. She couldn’t even remember which city her mother had told the town. 

“California,” she finally answered with a grin. “And all the territories it took to get there and back.”

Her answer startled a barking laugh from the man. “Of all the answers I expected, I must admit that was not it.” He shook his head. “What on earth were you doing in California? I cannot say I have heard of any finishing schools in the western territories.”

“I wanted an adventure.” She shrugged. “So I ran away with a wagon train.”

“Simple as that.” He chuckled. “What were they like? The territories? Why did you return?” He seemed excited to hear her stories, childlike in his enthusiasm. 

“They were magnificent,” Harry said honestly. “The most beautiful land I have ever laid eyes on. Wild, and rough, and untouched for the most part. I cannot wait to return. I only came back because I was hurt and fell ill; my companions brought me here to heal.” 

“So that part of the story is true.” Oliver nodded. “You mean to leave again, then?”

Harry nodded. “As soon as my mother’s guard is down,” she joked lightly. “She’s very upset with me for leaving. I had three marriage proposals I was avoiding at the time. You can imagine my relief when I returned to find them paired off with other ladies. Apologies if your intentions were to court me, Mr. Dayton, but marriage is simply not for me.”

Oliver laughed. “I must confess to you, Ms. Styles, I have little desire to marry myself. My cousin is also pressuring me to take a wife, so I figured if I must pretend to court someone, I may as well pick the prettiest one.” He winked. “And please, call me Oliver.”

“Well,” Harry laughed. “This sounds like the start of a beautifully beneficial friendship. And my friends, Oliver, call me Harry.” 

They spent much of the rest of the morning walking by the river, Harry’s strength finally returning. The fresh air felt good, but the noise of the city was never truly gone, and she still found herself missing life on the road. Oliver pressed her for details of her travels, and she enquired after his time in New York and what brought him to Missouri. By the time he returned her to her house for lunch they were both breathless with laughter. 

“Good morrow, Harriet,” he said dramatically, kissing her hand with a wink as Harry rolled her eyes fondly and stepped inside. “Thank you for the lovely morning.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Dayton.” Harry grinned, waving goodbye as the man set off down the street. She ignored her mother’s inquisitive gaze, and instead went upstairs to relish in her returning strength and start planning her escape. 

Oliver came to collect her nearly every morning, and they would walk down to the river, or through town. A few times they even rode a bit further out- Lucky seemed glad to stretch his legs. He, too, had gotten used to life on the road. They became the talk of the town, everyone wondering how long they would court before the marriage bells started ringing, and what a grand wedding it would be. Part of Harry was sad she would never have this with Louis, but she would rather have a secret with Louis than a wedding with anyone else.

“I’m going back to New York in three weeks,” Oliver announced softly, and Harry’s attention snapped back from where she was finger-combing Lucky’s mane, riding sidesaddle for once as they walked quietly along the river. “Emily wants me to propose, marry you, and cart you back with me.” He twisted the reins in his fingers, referencing the cousin he had been staying with for the past year while he grew the family’s export and import business. 

Harry watched him carefully. “What do you want?” she asked softly, cocking her head. 

  
  


“For everyone to let me do my business without forcing marriage on me,” he laughed hollowly. “I just. I don’t know, Harry. If I had to marry someone, I suppose I would like to marry you. You’re smart, and funny, and pretty, and I enjoy talking to you. But I just… I just don’t. I don’t want to marry. Not yet, at least.”

Harry was quiet for a long moment. “If I could, I would marry you,” she confessed. “To make your life easier, if nothing else. Because I like you too, Oliver, I just don’t love you. My heart is promised to another, and I need to find my way back to… to her.” She had stayed far away from any mention of Louis, had barely told him that she had travelling companions, and now his eyes flicked sharply to her. 

“I knew there was something you were leaving out.” He snorted. “That’s why you’re so desperate to get out of here.” 

Harry smiled. “It’s been two months apart now, after over a year spent constantly together. I’m not myself without her.”

“I know what you mean,” Oliver confessed quietly, still playing with his reins as a warm breeze tugged at their clothes. “What’s… what’s her name?”

“Louis.” Harry smiled. “Her name is Louis. She hates it if you call her Louise. She’s just Lou to me, usually. 

Oliver smiled. “I’m… I’m missing someone back home too. Abe.” The words seemed to claw their way out from where he had been holding the secret deep in his chest, but Harry could see the weight lift from his shoulders. “He’s.. he’s everything to me. You remind me of him, actually. Confident in all the ways I’m not.”

Harry reached out to squeeze his hand. “He’s lucky to have you,” she whispered. “Now, fake propose to me at my mother’s party tonight,” she decided. “In three weeks, we’ll tell everyone I’m going to New York with you. Something will happen to me on the journey, and you can pretend to be grief stricken back in New York so that no one will bother you about marrying, at least for a time. Problem solved.”

“By something happening to you on the journey, I assume you mean you disappear back into the territories and I tell everyone you died?” Oliver asked, amused. 

“Precisely.” Harry laughed. “Foolproof.” 

“Until I’m wanted for your murder.” Oliver grinned, shaking his head. 

“Tell them I ran away, then.” Harry shrugged. “If that would strike you with grief enough to be convincing.” 

“Very well then. I suppose I had better go buy a ring then, Hmm?” 

“I suppose so.” Harry giggled, and they turned their horses back towards town. 

That night at the party, a fundraiser for orphans or some such that Ellen had organized at the town hall, Harry danced with a dozen men in her new emerald green gown and gossiped with even more ladies, though Oliver always seemed to come rescue her when he escaped his own boring conversations, only for one of them to be dragged off again. Harry was with her mother and the mayor when the music died down and Oliver tapped a fork on his champagne flute to get everyone’s attention. 

Ellen glanced sharply at Harry, who was already blushing furiously. Despite this being a planned proposal, she hadn’t expected Oliver to do it so publicly, and she really wasn’t good with this much attention on her. 

“If I could have everyone’s attention for just a moment,” Oliver began, grinning easily as if he was used to addressing a hundred of Missouri’s wealthiest. “Can we please have a round of applause for Mrs. Ellen Styles, who organized this wonderful event to benefit our city’s orphans. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. I admit, my purpose now is a selfish one, though I did let Mrs. Styles know I would be matching all donations tonight,” he joked. “I would like to, instead, address her daughter Harriet. Most of you know that I will soon be returning to New York, though I confess I have come to love your beautiful city. I was wondering if I could be permitted to take a small piece of the south home with me. Harriet, would you do me the honor of coming to New York as my wife?”

Harry was beet red as all eyes turned to her, most of the young ladies jealous- the young men too, for that matter. Ellen’s were full of smug approval. 

“New York sounds like a grand adventure,” was all Harry managed to say, and the crowd broke into polite applause as she shyly stepped forward, meeting Oliver halfway as he took her hand and slipped a modest gold band on her finger. 

“You couldn’t have picked a more dramatic way to propose?” she whispered as he bent to kiss her cheek. 

“Oh, hush.” Oliver laughed quietly in her ear. “You know they wouldn’t have accepted anything less. Dance with me?”

“If I must,” she joked, allowing him to lead her back to the floor as the music picked back up. 

The night came to an end eventually and Harry rode beside her mother in the carriage Bobby arrived to pick them up in. 

“I’m glad you came to your senses, Harriet,” the woman said primly, examining the ring in the dim light of streetlamps. 

Harry just sighed and let her head rest back, utterly exhausted. “He’s kind. And funny,” she allowed. They weren’t lies, after all. 

“And rich,” her mother voiced her approval. 

“Yes, mother, and rich.” Harry rolled her eyes, glad that it wasn’t visible to the older woman. 

“Well, I see no need for a long engagement if he intends to bring you along when he leaves at the end of the month. We had better start planning the wedding.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Harry sighed heavily, eyes heavy with sleep. “In the morning.” 

The wedding was on a Thursday, and they were scheduled to leave Friday. Her mother had commissioned a dressmaker to rush order a simple satin and lace gown, and invitations had gone out the day after Oliver proposed to the important people in town. 

While her mother handled all the wedding preparations, Harry was preparing for her escape. Oliver had gifted her two beautiful saddle bags which she had filled with a few changes of clothes, a bedroll, some money, a sewing kit, and a writing kit. Most of her old things were likely still with Louis and the rest on the pack horses Liam had brought from California, so she decided to pack light and move fast. 

Her mother had gotten rid of the gun that had been on Harry’s hip when she was unconscious, so she found herself approaching Oliver again, giving him some money to get her two six shooters and a box of ammunition. He gave her two ornately carved revolvers and a beautiful leather ammo belt with matching holsters as well as her money back, and wouldn’t hear it when Harry insisted it was too much. Eventually she conceded, and everything was tucked neatly under her bed, ready for the day she could leave. 

Lucky was moved to Oliver’s barn the night before the wedding, and all Harry’s things along with him to be packed up with the household. Her cases were few and rather empty, save for the items stowed with Lucky’s tack in the barn. 

The wedding was set to be in the early afternoon, and Harry found herself surprisingly calm when the day arrived. Ladies curled and pinned her hair just so and helped her into her gown, which Harry had to admit was rather beautiful in the way it sat snugly on her curves. They settled a veil over her features and she was escorted in a carriage to the chapel. Without her father to walk her down the aisle, a close friend from his military time offered his arm and guided her down to the sound of the church organ.

The ceremony and reception seemed to pass in a blur, and Harry was eternally grateful for the way Oliver held on to her arm and fielded most of the attention. He drove them back to his house that night with the same black horse he had on the first day they met, and showed her quietly to her room. 

“Most of the staff has already left with our things,” he explained quietly. “We’re here alone tonight. Here’s your room.” He opened the door to a large, airy room with a soft looking bed. “I’ve told everyone we plan on leaving before the sun tomorrow, and that we won’t have time for goodbyes, so you should be safe to leave at the same time we do tomorrow.” 

“Thank you, Oliver. For everything.” Harry wrapped him in a tight hug. “I promise I’ll write when I’ve settled. I won’t forget.” 

Oliver smiled and returned the embrace. “I’m counting on that, Harry Styles. A man needs to know where his wife is,” he joked. 

Harry smiled. “That he does,” she agreed. They broke apart and Harry went to change into a soft nightgown, lying awake in the sheets for close to an hour before going to find Oliver still awake in the living room, staring into a fire. 

Somehow, they stayed up most of the night talking. About Abe and Louis, about the future, about where Harry planned to be, about the anxiety they both felt for the coming days. Before they knew it, it was morning, and they both went to dress for the day; Oliver in a gray travelling suit and Harry in a white blouse, black pants, and the black rose embroidered vest she and Niall had worn when they broke Louis out of jail all those months ago. She buckled Olivers gift around her waist, admiring the way the mother-of-pearl handles looked against the black leather. She braided her hair and sat a black hat low on her head before meeting Oliver in the barn. 

“Harriet you look… fantastic.” He laughed. “I can’t put words to this. It’s two different women.”

Harry grinned and shook her head. “I like being both women,” she confessed. “But this one certainly has more fun.” 

She gave Lucky a quick brushing and then started tacking him up. The gelding seemed to sense the excitement in the air and pranced in place a bit, quieting with a gentle word from Harry. She checked and double checked the buckles on her saddle bags and the cinch around his belly, nodding to herself. 

“Goodbye, Mr. Dayton,” she said playfully, hugging Oliver one last time and kissing his cheek. “Safe travels. Maybe one day I will come see you in New York.”

“Goodbye, Mrs. Dayton,” Oliver joked, returning the kiss. “And I’m counting on it. Safe travels.” 

Harry squeezed him one last time before stepping a foot into the stirrup and swinging up on to Lucky. “I’ll write,” she promised one last time, before nudging Lucky to a quick trot, heading north. 

  
  


She made good time that day, the cool predawn air putting an extra pep in Lucky’s step. The horse kept between a trot and a lope for most of the morning before slowing to a brisk walk as the sun started growing hotter around ten. They stopped around midday for a short rest before continuing north.

About two weeks in, Harry was in a saloon in a tiny, one street town in the middle of the Kansas territory. She couldn’t quite tell why there was a town here at all, except that the railroad was being built nearby, but she figured it was as good a place as any to rest for the night and search for a hot meal. She wandered up to a saloon, just about the only labeled building in the town, and tied Lucky up to the post out front. 

The place was busier than it appeared from the outside, and she found herself sliding a coin across the bar and asking for a whiskey before settling at a poker table. She may as well pass the time if she was going to stay here for the evening. 

By the time dusk fell she had lost one game and won two, and stood to make her exit and search for a place to stay the night. 

“Lovely girl, don’t you know it’s dangerous for women to be alone in these parts,” the man who had just lost to her sneered rudely. 

“I manage just fine.” Harry shrugged, settling her hat back on her head and pocketing her winnings. 

“I think you cheated,” the man argued, pressing into her space. “I think I ought to get my money’s worth.” He grabbed for her waist and tried to pull her close, only to get a sharp shove and a noise of disgust from Harry. 

“If you want your money’s worth, try one of the girls over there that’s offering,” Harry said firmly, glaring at the man. 

“No. They didn’t steal my money; you did,” the man insisted, grabbing for her bum this time. 

Before Harry knew it, her gun was drawn and pointed at the man, the mother-of-pearl handle cool in her palm. “Take. Your. Hands. Off. Me,” she said, calculatedly cool. The bar had gone silent around her, and all Harry could hear was the beating of her heart under the rose embroidered vest. 

“Frigid bitch,” the man sneered. “Stuck up, cheating, bastard whore.” He raised a hand to strike her and his words died in his throat, Harry’s shot echoing through the establishment. 

Harry went cold with the realization of what she did, but she found she couldn’t bring herself to care with how the man had been threatening her. “I warned him not to touch me,” she said quietly, glancing around the bar, holstering her weapon, and stepping outside to mount Lucky. She wheeled off at a lope, feeling bad for not getting to rest her horse, but there was nothing to be done now. 

She steered well clear of towns for a while after that, but a few weeks in she had lost all trace of Louis and the rest, had no idea where they might be now, so she had to stop in to another equally small town in search of news. 

Harry found, as she rode through, no news of Louis, but instead the hollow remains of people who had lost all hope. They watched her warily from doorways with untrusting eyes, mothers hiding children with bellies round with hunger behind their skirts. Harry’s stomach twisted, tears pricking her eyes. She blinked them back and turned to an older man who was holding a rifle across his arms, the only one that didn’t seem afraid of her. 

“What happened here?” she asked, dreading the answer. 

“Bandits,” he said simply. “‘Round ‘bout a week back. Not that we had much to steal, but they took what they could. Half the folks want to leave but ‘ent even got money for a horse, let alone a wagon to pack they kids up in. If you was here to rob us too, may as well just shoot us and be done with it.”

Harry felt her blood boil, gritting her teeth as she looked around at the small town again. “Which way did they ride?”

“North.” He gestured vaguely. “Marshals hardly come through here, mail neither. They never gon’ be punished for what they did.”

Lucky was starting to dance underneath Harry, feeling her tension and not knowing what to do with it. She spun him in a tight circle and nodded once to the man, spurring Lucky to a lope without another word in the direction he had indicated. 

The bandits had made no effort to hide their tracks, though whether that was from laziness or stupidity Harry didn’t know. She was by no means as good a tracker as Zayn or Liam, but she could tell there were at least six riders, and they were riding hard. 

Small bundles of gold were left on each of the townspeople’s doorsteps a few days later, and a good sized buck was left near the butcher’s shop with a note to share with the town. No one quite knew who left it, but the old man with the rifle was adamant. 

“It was that girl,” he told anyone who would listen. “That wild girl, with the roses on her vest. She’s done this. She saved us.”

Similar stories started cropping up in other small towns. People in debt to bankers suddenly found their balances paid, small bundles appeared on porches, all with no trace of who left them. Alongside them, however, came stories of bank owners being robbed, of outlaw gangs being found tied and gagged, all their loot stolen, by a masked woman in all black save for embroidered roses. The stories started spreading, eventually making the papers, telling the tale of “The Wild Rose” who stole from evil men and gave to the poor they had harmed. 

Harry was in a similar saloon in a similar small town when she overheard a rough-looking bunch chatting about their newest target. They were alone at a back table, drinking and glancing around nervously. Harry knew it was likely better that she avoid them, but she couldn’t help thinking about how ridiculous their plan was. Knocking back the rest of her drink, she stood and walked across the bar to drop into the last open chair at their table. 

“I hit that bank three weeks ago.” She informed. “Banks are getting harder to hit now, anyway. You should think about robbing trains.” 

The men gaped at her. “Pardon?” One asked. “Who are you, anyway?” 

“The Wild Rose.” Harry extended a hand to shake. “Rosie.” 

“Alright, Rosie. Tell us more about these trains.”

Louis’ gang, in the meantime, was circling back east again when they found themselves the victim of such a crime. They had robbed a few small banks, escaping with little difficulty and making off with a total of around a thousand dollars. Louis was reckless, hardly sleeping, picking their targets without regard of any risk and drinking and gambling away the money a few towns over despite the rest trying to comfort her and turn her back on the right path. They had a hideout, a small cave that they stashed the loot in while they were in town, and returned one evening to find the place sacked of all valuables, save their pack horses, though the goods had been looted through too. 

“Bastards!” Louis screamed, kicking at one of the cases. It split open and some of Harry’s things slipped out, including the portrait of her father in the cracked class frame. “Fuck,” she choked, picking up the frame and tracing over the man’s features, looking for the resemblance he shared with Harry. 

Niall sighed heavily and began gently folding Harry’s dresses, tucking them back in the case, though Louis picked up the floral one that was secretly her favorite and held it close, too angry to cry. More than her gold being stolen, she had been so afraid they had made off with the last things she had of Harry. 

“Give it here, Lou. Let me fold it up, we don’t want Harry’s things all dirty for when she comes back,” Niall said gently, trying to take the gown from Louis. 

Louis jerked back, blue eyes hollow as she glanced at Niall. “Harry’s not coming back,” she said for the first time. All of them had thought it, had let the doubt cross their mind, but after five months without the girl, their hope was dwindling 

“Don’t say that, Louis,” Liam said firmly, coming to back Niall up. “We’re going to find her,” he promised.

Louis just shook her head, letting Niall take the gown and fold it back into the case. She stared blankly at the cave wall, hearing the others set about cleaning up and making camp around her, but she made no move to help them. Nothing but anger, heartbreak, and grief moved beneath her skin. Harry was gone and she had nothing. 

She stayed there the whole night, not joining the others for dinner or the warmth of a fire. She didn’t speak, save for quietly saying she was going for a walk and would be back in a few minutes. It was a split second decision when she mounted Birdy and started riding her hard in the direction they had come from, back towards where there were rumors the Wild Rose frequently stayed in a hotel in a nearby town. If she had nothing to live for anymore, she might as well die for some money. 

“I’m looking for the Wild Rose,” Louis said as she walked into the town’s saloon the next afternoon, dark circles under her eyes as she glanced around the crowded bar. “I hear she frequents these parts. We’ve a bit of a score to settle.”

The bartender stared down his squash nose at the stocky woman. “She comes and goes, aye. Who’s asking?”

“That’s my business, isn’t it?” Louis asked, cocking her head. Something in her was more reckless now, more volatile, without Harry’s presence to balance her. Niall and Liam could hardly talk to her some days without setting off a bomb. “She has something of mine. I’d like it back.”

The bartender scoffed. “Sure, aye. I’m sure the Wild Rose will just hand it right over, she seems a very amenable sort. Maybe she’s around, maybe I’ll tell her you’re looking for her. Are you drinking or not?”

Louis sneered and spit on the floor. “Are you going to tell me where she is or not?”

“Not,” he said simply, setting out a glass of whiskey. “Two bits.” 

Louis rolled her eyes but took the glass and downed it, sliding the coins across the counter and stalking back towards the door. 

“Lass,” the bartender called. Louis stopped, but didn’t turn. “Be on the highstreet at noon. I can’t promise she’ll be there, but if she is, I hope you’re a quick draw.”

Louis nodded brusquely and pushed her way out of the door, her anger dulled to warm embers underneath the skin rather than the flames that burst out with more regularity now. 

She was pacing the south end of the main road half an hour earlier than expected, both guns loaded and heavy on her hip. The circles under her eyes were darker still in the light, but she kept her face half covered by a rugged black hat that matched the chaps strapped to her legs. Her spurs tinkled lightly as she scuffed up dust, ignoring the crowd that was starting to linger on the edges of the street. People always wanted to see a gunfight, today was no exception. 

[ _**two gunslingers - tom petty** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/2aJKwQVipL1RPsyI5wCKfU?si=VsimhXWhS2mB2i5ctXd6hA)

At five minutes to noon, a tall figure appeared on the opposite end of the street, a few whistles and cheers going up. The figure was shadowy, a hat tucked low against the sun and a half mask obscuring the features, and Louis could only assume it was the Wild Rose, if the bright red vest was anything to go by. 

Louis started walking slowly down the street, one hand rested on her six shooter. The rules of a duel were strict, and she wasn’t going to fire before terms were agreed on, but one couldn’t be too careful. The figure on the opposite side mirrored her, silvery handles flashing in the light as they wandered forward, seemingly without a care in the world.

They were about fifteen feet apart when Louis stopped walking, one hip cocked. “You have something of mine, I’d like it back,” she spoke, voice rough from lack of use. Still, something stiffened in the other figures posture at the sound, and her head snapped up, revealing bright green eyes and a familiar smile under the shadow of the hat. 

Something in Louis broke then, her heart simultaneously hitting her stomach and leaping with joy. Tears flooded her eyes and she rubbed them furiously, sure that she was hallucinating. 

“I didn’t think it could be true.” Harry laughed softly, her own eyes bright with tears, and Louis felt her feet moving of their own accord, staggering forward. Harry met her at a run, seizing Louis in a bone crushing hug, the pair of them clinging on so hard that they might never be pried apart. 

“It’s really you,” Louis whimpered. “I thought… Harriet, I thought…” 

“I know, my love. It’s me, though, I’m here. I’m here,” Harry whispered, burying her face in Louis neck, shaky breaths leaving her lungs as she breathed in Louis smell for the first time in close to six months. “I’ve been looking for you. I would have torn this world apart to find you.” 

“You’re here,” Louis said, eyes still squeezed shut. “My little dove.” 

“Yours,” Harry agreed. “The rest, are they…?”

Louis swallowed thickly. “I- I haven’t been well, since you left. I left them behind a few days ago. They always catch up.” 

Harry shook her head. “My lovely Lou. I am so sorry, my darling. I’m so sorry you were hurting.”

“Not anymore. Not unless I wake up and find this has been a very, very good dream.” Louis laughed wetly. “Or maybe that figure in black has already shot me, and this is heaven.”

“I don’t care where we are, as long as I’m with you,” Harry whispered, wiping Louis’ tears. “Come on. Let’s find the others.” The pair unraveled their tangled limbs and walked to where the horses were tied, Lucky and Birdy on opposite ends from each other. They set off at a trot out of town, leaving a speechless crowd and no death. 

They found the rest around a small campfire at the base of a cliff that evening, and were greeted with drawn guns and Liam’s sharp command to show themselves. 

“It’s me,” Louis called, riding into view. “Relax, Liam.”

“Louis,” he sighed in relief, holstering his gun. “Please, for the love of God, stop running off like that.”

“She won’t be doing it anymore,” Harry answered with a grin, rounding the corner behind Louis. Stunned silence fell over the group before Niall, Zayn, and Liam all lit up with excited shouts, jumping up and nearly spooking the horses. They practically dragged Harry from the saddle, passing her around like a ragdoll until everyone had given her a bearhug and greeted her. 

“Where did you find her?” Niall asked breathlessly. “God, Harry, it’s so good to see you. We never were sure you made it.” 

“Harry here is the Wild Rose,” Louis answered drily. “I figured I’d go looking for a gunfight, since we reckoned it was her that stole the gold.”

“What gold?” Harry frowned, settling against Louis’ chest as they sat in the cool earth around the fire. Something inside her went quiet at the closeness, close to six months of what felt like restless lightning under her skin finally at peace. 

“We’ve heard of your little habit.” Louis grinned softly, kissing behind Harry’s ear. “Stealing from businessmen and bandits and redistributing the wealth. Had over a thousand dollars go missing a few days back, thought it might have been you.”

“Mm. No, if I got that close to you, I would’ve been back even sooner.” Harry sighed wistfully. “I heard Bill Hicks’ gang has been in the area though, he seems the type to take the easy route and steal previously stolen gold.”

Louis scoffed. “He does, doesn’t he. Not the brightest, if he thought to mess with us.”

Harry smirked. “Because you’ve been so notorious, haven’t you?” she teased. “Louis Tomlinson isn’t a name I’ve heard in a while, made you hard to track down.”

“Oh, hush,” Louis muttered. “Not all of us get monikers granted to us in the papers.”

“Mm. Your day will come, my dear. And I’ll be your Wild Rose.” 

They set out at first light, determined to find Willy Hicks. It was only 3 days into the journey when they stumbled across a small house. It was a shack, really, run down and leaning slightly to the left, but it looked abandoned and there was a little pen outside for the horses.

“I think we should check it out,” Harry decided. “Sleep there for tonight, maybe stay for a day or so and rest the horses.”

“I dunno, dove. Seems risky. Whoever lives here could come back,” Louis said uneasily, resting back in her saddle as they watched from their sheltered place on the ridge above. 

“Let’s just watch it for a while,” Zayn chimed in finally. “See what happens and go from there. Sun will be setting soon.” 

As if on cue, a group of nine men appeared on the horizon, riding at a quick trot and kicking up a cloud of dust. Their shouting and laughter could be heard from the gang’s position, and the group of five quickly disappeared among the large boulders on the ridge. 

The men riding below didn’t notice them, and soon enough they were pulling up in front of the house, leaving their ponies sweaty at the hitching post as they dismounted and started unpacking thick bundles from the backs of their saddles. 

“That’s gold,” Niall hissed, peeking over a boulder, Cloud standing quiet behind her. “Four bags full. They have to be robbers.”

Harry and Louis made eye contact over Liam’s head, a wicked smile growing on Harry’s face. 

“No, dove. They outnumber us, and clearly they’re hard criminals.”

Harry cocked an eyebrow. “They don’t look the brightest bunch. They don’t even know we’re here. Their guard is down. And that’s probably _your_ gold; the gold you were ready to shoot me over.”

“Harriet, I said no,” Louis said firmly. “I’m not risking our safety for a bag of gold.”

“Four bags of gold,” Niall supplied helpfully. 

“Hush, Niall,” Louis snapped. 

“All of you, hush,” Zayn whispered. “Sound carries farther than you think. We watch tonight, see what they do, and make a plan from there.”

Harry nodded her satisfaction with a smug smile at Louis, who just scoffed but slipped around Liam to press a kiss to Harry’s neck. “You’re a brat,” she whispered. 

“You love me,” Harry whispered back with a smirk. 

“Suppose so,” Louis agreed, shaking her head and forcing back her own smile. 

“Both of you hush. I’ll keep watch,” Zayn hissed. “Take a nap or something.”

The other four conceded, dozing lightly among the boulders as dusk fell around them. The raucous noises coming from the shack grew louder as the evening progressed, with loud talk and drinking. It was around midnight that the noise died down, the robbers having drunk themselves into a stupor. 

“Let’s take it,” Harry whispered again. “There’s no way any of them are sober enough to be keeping watch. Come on, I’ll sneak down and take it, we ride away, and they’re none the wiser.” 

“I don’t know,” Louis said hesitantly.

“I’ll go,” Zayn said simply, already walking down the small ridge before the rest could protest. They watched cautiously, all of them with guns drawn, as Zayn’s shadowy figure made its way down to the house, deftly unbuckling the saddle bags and carrying the heavy weight over her shoulder. She picked her way back up to the group and grinned as she set both pairs of saddle bags in front of them. 

“W.H. is stamped on them. This is definitely Hicks.” Zayn smirked. “Let’s ride out, before they wake up.”

The five just laughed incredulously and buckled the saddle bags over their pack horse’s backs, moving out at a quiet walk before breaking into a trot and then a lope once they were out of ear shot. 

The taste of their first true heist had them all thirsting for more. The tiny jobs each of them had done, stealing from poorly guarded carriages and rich business men, felt like nothing to looking at four thousand dollars worth of gold. 

“We need a safe place to keep it,” Louis decided that night as they roasted a pheasant over a small fire. “And we need to decide now how far we’re going to go with this.”

“Well, the plan has always been to settle,” Harry said simply. “How much would it be to buy a large piece of land and the means to begin ranching?”

Liam shrugged. “Figure around ten or fifteen dollars an acre,” he mused. “Ten or twenty per head of cattle.”

Harry started scratching numbers in the dirt, figuring the totals. “We could get 400 acres with what we have here, at 10 an acre.”

“600 to 1000 would be better.” Louis pursed her lips. “If we wanted it to be a real cattle operation.”

“Ok. 600 acres. How many cattle would we need to buy?”

“Start with 200 or so probably.” Liam shrugged. “Start raising them from there.”

“Alright, 600 acres and 200 cattle would be around $13,000. That’s nothing to build a house with, nothing to plant with though. I would say maybe $25,000 at a minimum?” Harry offered, playing with the numbers in her head. “Just for overhead and such. Savings.”

“You mean to tell me you want to steal $25,000?” Niall asked, staring blankly at Harry. “You have to be joking.”

Harry shrugged. “We’re already wanted.” She grinned. “Why not go all the way? And we don’t have to steal all of it. If it’s getting to be difficult or if we’re at risk of being caught, we stop with what we have. People make do with less.”

“I’m in.” Zayn shrugged, still in awe of the money sitting in front of them in the bags. “Why not?”

Liam sighed and stoked the fire, chewing his bottom lip. “Why not,” he agreed with a hollow sort of laugh. “What else would it change, really?”

“Fuck it,” Niall declared, throwing her hands up. “I’ve nothing else left. Might as well get filthy rich or die in a hail of gunfire.”

“It would seem I’m outvoted,” Louis said drily. 

“As if you wouldn’t follow whatever Harry wanted to do even if we all said no,” Niall scoffed. “You’re pathetic, Tomlinson.”

“I seem to remember you packing up your life no questions asked when a certain brother of mine decided he needed to go to California.” Louis raised an eyebrow. “We all do stupid things for love.”

Niall grinned and shook her head. “Ok, fine,” she consented. “So we’re doing this?” 

“We’re doing this.” Harry beamed, cuddling up against Louis as she finished her rations of supper and dozed off with the idea of fresh adventure on the horizon. 

Their first target was a bank. It went off without a hitch, and before long they had the whole system down pat. Word of their prowess soon spread through the territories: beautiful young women and a lone man, all with delicately embroidered roses on their vests. After a bank teller reported hearing one of them call the leader “Lou,” the group was dubbed as “Lovely” Lou and her Wild Roses in the press. Louis had roared with laughter at that, but they took on the name all the same. It suited them, after all. With minimal variation in their plan aside from the random nature of the towns they struck, Liam would escort one of the ladies inside while the rest waited out in the shade as backup. It never seemed to fail.

A tall, slim woman dressed in a beautiful dusky pink gown and matching hat entered the bank, arm in arm with an equally well dressed man. She wore a vest identical to that of her companion’s, black with tiny embroidered roses over the dress, and her chocolate curls tumbled down her back. A kind smile was playing at her lips, but the upper portion of both of their faces was obscured by a thin black mask. They were alone in the bank, no other patrons waiting, so they meandered up to the desk. 

“Afternoon, sir, ma’am,” the teller said kindly, not having given them a thorough enough glance to see the masks as he wiped down the polished wood counter with a cloth. “What might I do for you?” 

“Howdy.” The woman grinned. “We would like to make a withdrawal.” 

If the teller was surprised at the woman speaking for the pair, he did not show it. “Yes ma’am, I can do that for you. I’ll just need a bit more information about your account.” 

“Oh, we don’t have an account. That’s ok though, right? We just need, oh, about $3,000. You have that in your little drawer there, don’t you?” the woman said sweetly, producing a pistol from seemingly thin air and resting her hand on the counter. “Nice and slow, if you please. I get jumpy at sudden movements; my finger might slip.” 

“I… you…” the teller stammered. 

“Yes, son, this is a holdup. $3,000, now please,” the man spoke firmly. “My companion isn’t very patient.”

Harry tutted. “Patience is a virtue, dear, and I am a virtuous woman!” she said playfully. 

“Oh, I was referring to Lou,” Liam corrected with a grin. “You’re a saint compared to her.”

“Oh, of course, yes. ‘Lovely’ Lou is waiting outside with the rest of our Wild Roses, and I’m afraid she isn’t very patient at all,” Harry agreed, turning her attention back to the teller, who had gone pale at the mention of the infamous group. “Now, I really don’t want to kill anyone, so please hurry up before I put a bullet in your belly and get the money myself.”

“Yes ma’am,” he whispered, filling the bag with all the cash he could, hands shaking. Harry accepted the bag while Liam hopped over the counter and tied the man’s hands and feet, as well as gagging him. 

“Can you breathe?” Liam asked, sitting the man in a chair. The teller nodded his confirmation. “Good. I don’t want you to suffocate, just can’t have you raising the alarm quite yet. We would prefer a nice head start. Someone will be by to free you before too long, I imagine.”

With that, they moseyed back outside to where the rest were waiting. 

“Do you see this?” Louis held up a wanted poster, wrinkling her nose. It proclaimed a $500 reward for her capture, or any information leading to the same. “This doesn’t look anything like me.” It looked like someone that could be Louis’ ugly cousin, but the resemblance ended there. Harry had to giggle.

“Good.” Harry shrugged with a grin, passing up the bag of loot and swinging into the saddle, grateful once again for the split-legged skirts she was wearing. “Fewer people will recognize you.” They set off at a lope, leaving a dusty trail out of town. It was small enough that it didn’t have its own sheriff; the Marshal would be by every few weeks to handle any miscreants. 

They made it out of town without any difficulty, riding well into the night before they dared stop to rest. They started working their way south towards Texas again, hitting banks and trains along their way, sometimes one a day, sometimes a few weeks passing without any plans. The marshals were hard pressed to find them, and local law was practically useless. 

“I’m sorry, I must need to clean my ears. You said we have how much?” Liam asked, a little breathless, as they rested their horses in the canyon in North Texas that they used as a hideout. The river hid their tracks as they waded to a small, dry inlet that was hidden from view, with a cave in the face of the rock above them that was a difficult climb but provided a safe place to stash their loot. 

“I said we have $100,000,” Harry repeated, breathless herself. “I counted twice.” 

With being over a year into their outlaw life, their targets had grown bigger, but so had the risk. Their innocent act no longer worked, they now had to strike in the dead of night and put Zayn’s skill as a lockpick to use, had to resort to guns and violence more often than they liked. They were touted as the most notorious gang west of the Mississippi, and now, with the knowledge that they were richer than they had ever dreamed, they believed it. 

“I think it’s time to stop,” Louis finally spoke, all of them floored by the knowledge of their wealth now. They had some idea, sure, but it had been a while since they sat and counted their accumulation of gold. “Time to settle.” 

Harry hesitated, secretly enjoying the rule-breaking lifestyle they had been living, but the Marshals had gotten too close for comfort more than once at this point, and she still wished for the little homestead Louis had promised her years ago. 

“Yes,” she finally agreed. “I don’t know how much longer our luck can hold before we’re caught and hanged.” 

“And we would _definitely_ be hanged for stealing $100,000.” Zayn laughed, Niall echoing her agreement. “What do we do if we stop?”

Harry thought over their travels, of the wagon train and their expeditions, of all the places she had seen and loved the most. “Denver,” she spoke softly. “The west side of the Kansas territory. The mountains were so beautiful, and it’s still not really settled. We could easily find land there and start a business where the land is fresh.”

“I liked that area,” Liam agreed, shrugging. “Why not.” 

“Sure.” Louis nodded, though everyone knew that Louis’ vote would always align with Harry’s. “So, what’s the plan? How do we get there? We can’t load the gold across pack horses; there’s too much and too it would be too obvious.”

“A wagon.” Harry spoke up with a grin. “The flat bottom bit, the extra storage. We can hide it there. If anyone asks, we were pioneers and are heading back east from the gold rush in California.”  
  


“Maybe,” Louis allowed. “But the nearest town is fifty miles, and that one is hardly big enough to have a wagon for sale. We would still have to cart the gold there, and that would get dangerous. And then there’s the fact that we aren’t on the right course to be coming back from California.” 

Harry shrugged. “Any better ideas?”

Louis snorted. “No,” she admitted. “We’ll think on it. Stay here for a while, let the rumors die down on where we’ve been,” she decided. “Maybe start moving small amounts.” 

Liam nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. We’re isolated here, the law can’t find us. Give it a month or so, then make our moves. We can get a stagecoach, maybe. That would be faster than a wagon. Louis and I can ride as a guard; Lou passes for a man with her hair hidden. Zayn can drive. We dress Harry and Niall up as ladies travelling to meet their husbands or somesuch,” he suggested. 

“That would work better,” Louis allowed. “The coaches run with wider variety in location. We can hide the gold in cases. More risk of bandits, but.” She shrugged and grinned wryly. “We aren’t the easy targets they’re expecting.” She chuckled. 

“That settles it then.” Zayn shrugged. “Let things settle around here, Liam rides into town to buy a stagecoach, says he’s starting a business or something or needs to go pick up family back east, we meet him a ways outside town, load it up, and head north.”

They stayed there in their hideout on the river, hunting and fishing and enjoying the mid May weather, mild for Texas. It was nice, in a way, to have the peace and quiet without the adrenaline of the robberies, though by the end of the month they were all ready to crawl out of their skin. They had started moving small bags of gold and burying them in the desert near where they planned to meet up with the stagecoach, and finally, on the first of June, they departed the little inlet for the last time. 

“I’m going to miss it, a bit,” Harry admitted. “It was peaceful.” 

“Yes,” Louis mused. “Good memories.” She grinned, feeling the cool water splash up against her ankles as the horses waded through the river. Three pack horses were loaded down with the rest of the gold, disguised as supplies, and they rode through the say to the agreed upon area. Liam would make the rest of the ride into town in the morning while the rest of them dug up the hidden loot.

It was nearly noon the next day when Liam returned, driving a stagecoach with four fine matched sorrel horses, his own spotted Lassie tied behind the wagon. They made short work of loading the gold into the bottom of the carriage, stashing the rest of the luggage in the rack on top, before setting off north. They skirted well around the town, avoiding them on the whole for the most part through the journey.

They were well into the Kansas territory when bandits fell upon them. Zayn spotted them a mile off from her seat on the front of the coach and signaled quietly to Liam and Louis, though all of them pretended nothing was amiss. Harry and Niall were well armed, guns hidden in the full skirts of their fancy dresses, and as the bandits fell on them a few minutes later they simply urged their mounts to a gallop and returned the fire they were given, picking off the raiders one by one. No one was hurt, thankfully, and the rest of the trip was uneventful. The next town they passed through, they stopped by the sheriff’s office and Harry played fretful traveller, speaking of the horrible bandits that tried to rob her, though her hired guns protected her, and sheriff, their bodies are back in the desert a ways, if they are wanted criminals.

[ _**lay me down - dirty heads** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/4duRCqphyoANSfH8oUl6c2?si=g9EzMxaXSLai79pn6imu5g)

They rode into Denver on a Friday in July, glancing around the small town. The townspeople stared, unused to such a posse, and even more unused to the wild air around the women that exited the stagecoach. Harry had her mother-of-pearl six shooters on her hip as if they were meant to be there, and greeted Louis with a kiss as her partner dismounted and began leading Birdy along the dusty street. 

“Howdy,” Liam greeted the sheriff, tipping his hat politely. “We’re new to town, I assume you’ve gathered, and plan to be here a while. Are there any houses in town to lease?”

“There’s rooms above the saloon there.” The sheriff nodded gruffly towards the largest building, down the street a ways. “Where you folks come in from?”

“California,” Liam said, friendly brown eyes able to set even the most distrusting of men at ease. “We was out prospecting, figured we would come settle out here. ‘S my wife Niall, there, her sisters Harriet and Louis, and my cousin Zayn. ‘Fraid their husbands didn’t quite make the journey; they have grieved for the loss.” He took his hat off and rested it over his heart dramatically. “The brothers I never had.” He replaced the hat. “California raises tough women though,” he said lightly. “They have weathered the journey well, though I am sure they are ready for a real bed. Thank you kindly for the recommendation.” He played the part of chatty, innocent pioneer well.

“Hmm,” the sheriff said, seeming satisfied with the story. “I’m sure they are. Slim runs the saloon. Tell him I sent you and he will set you with rooms accordingly.” 

“Thank you kindly, sheriff.” Liam tipped his hat again. “Is there a livery, for the horses?”

“Not as such. Slim keeps a barn, but is too busy to run it well. I’ve room, if you need, for decent rates.” 

“Thank you, thank you. I may come seek you out.” Liam nodded and rode back to the others, relaying the information. 

“Sounds well enough,” Louis mused, helping Zayn guide the horses down the street to the saloon. 

“I don’t quite trust that sheriff. Didn’t get the best feeling about him. I think we had best lay low and let his suspicions die,” Liam said quietly as they stepped through the door, finding a large room with a few poker tables, a small stage, a long bar along the wall, and stairs leading to the second and third levels. 

“Mornin’, boys,” the man behind the bar spoke, glancing them over. “What can I do for you?”

Liam spoke before Louis could open her mouth. “The sheriff said you may have rooms to let out? We need three, at least.” He offered a kind smile. “My name is Liam Payne, we’ve come from California, and need a place to live while we find a spot for a homestead.”

“Aye, I’ve got rooms,” the barkeep said gruffly. “The girls work the second floor, but there’s clean rooms on the third. Safe, too. A lock on all the doors. 4 bits per room, per night.”

“Lovely.” Liam smiled. “That should suit my family just fine.”

“Three rooms, you said?” The man pursed his lips, fingering through the keys he kept on his belt. 

“And board for our horses, if you have it. And Louis here has experience tending liveries, if you’re hiring.” 

The man hardly glanced up. “Maybe. Don’t much hire strangers on first meeting them. Extra bit, per day, per horse.” He passed over three keys. “The rooms are the last three on the right. Three for just the two of you?”

“My wife, her sister, and my cousin are outside.” Liam said, speaking mildly. “I’ll fetch them in shortly. Thank you kindly, Mr…?”

“Thomas McGee. Slim.”

“Thank you, Mr. McGee.” Liam tipped his hat and passed over some coins. “I believe that should cover us for the week. We will settle our horses and be back shortly.”

Thomas nodded curtly and began polishing the bartop without a second glance at them, leaving Liam and Louis to wander back outside to the others. 

“We’ve rooms here,” Liam told the girls, who were watering the horses at the trough outside the saloon. “There’s a barn, round back. We can board the horses there.” 

Harry nodded, leading Birdy and Lucky, letting Niall take Lassie and Cloud while Zayn led her Golden and the three pack horses. Louis and Liam guided the four carriage horses (which Harry had secretly named Eenie, Meenie, Miney, and Mo) to the barn before unhitching them and leaving the stagecoach parked just inside. 

“Do we trust that the horses won’t be stolen?” Harry asked, concerned, as she rubbed Lucky down and settled him in a stall before helping Zayn unload the pack horses. 

“No,” Louis laughed. “But we don’t much trust anything. We can take turns keeping watch at night, if you like, dove. Until we’re established in town.”

Harry nodded, appeased by Louis’ offer. “Ok, that sounds good,” she agreed. 

They finished settling the animals before starting to cart the luggage in to the bar and up the stairs. Several cases were heavy with gold and cash, but they made it upstairs without arousing suspicion. 

They were on the last trip up when Slim spotted Niall and Harry. “I pay 2 bits a night, and you can keep 60% of what the men give you,” he offered, eyeing them up and down. “The boys around here would love fresh gals.” 

“I thought you didn’t hire strangers on first meeting them,” Louis said harshly, stepping in between Slim and the girls. “They aren’t whores.” 

The bartender scoffed. “Consider it,” he directed at the Harry and Niall. “Free board, too.” He shrugged, turning back to the bar. “My girls are treated well, and you set your prices.”

Niall wrinkled her nose and Harry rolled her eyes and took Louis’ arm, tugging the girl back from where her lover was ready to hop the bar and start throwing punches. 

“Come on, Lou. Let it go,” she murmured, leading the way upstairs. “Come on.” 

Louis relented and let Harry guide her to the third floor, where their cases had been settled. Niall split off to the room she would be sharing with Zayn, giving Harry a knowing look and mouthing “Good luck,” knowing when Louis was worked up like this, almost nothing would get through to her. 

They stepped into their bedroom, stuffy from the hot July air that settled over Denver. Though it was a more tolerable dry heat than the humid summers Harry had grown up with, she still felt the need to open the windows, hoping to tempt a cross breeze to move the stale air from the room. 

“Could kill him for saying that to you,” Louis muttered, pacing the room, fingers twitching restlessly. 

“Louis,” Harry murmured, drawing the woman in with both hands and kissing her gently. “Stop.” She smiled, peppering small kisses over Louis jaw and neck until the tension was gone from her partner. “People will talk. Let them. I’m just yours, ok? Just yours. We’ll only be here a short while, then we will have our own house, far from people who will say such things.” 

Louis sighed and nodded, dropping her head to rest on Harry’s shoulder. “You’re right,” she murmured. “I’m just…”

“Tired?” Harry supplied. “Bored? Possessive?” A teasing grin played on her lips. “Come on. Let’s rest, hm? Nap in a real bed for once?”

Louis smiled. “Ok,” she agreed, kissing Harry softly and letting the taller girl guide her to bed. 

They dozed for around an hour, curled up together on top of the covers, until Liam woke them with a quiet rap on the door. Harry stirred and got up to open it, surprised at the level of noise that greeted her from downstairs. The rooms did a good job of filtering the activity from the bar. 

“Figured we could head downstairs and get something to eat, start meeting people,” Liam offered, Niall and Zayn behind him. 

“Ok,” Harry agreed. “Let me wake Louis. We’ll meet you down there.”

The other three nodded their assent and made for the stairs while Harry let the door close with a click and turned back to where Louis was dead to the world. 

“Lou, darling,” Harry murmured softly, bending to kiss her awake. “Let’s go meet the neighbors, hm?” 

Louis groaned and rolled to a sitting position. “You tempt me with a nap and then wake me when it’s still daylight? You’re a cruel gal.” 

Harry laughed. “Come on. I know you want to go show everyone up at poker and establish your dominance” she teased. “We don’t have to stay long.”

“Alright,” Louis consented, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Do you have to wear that? The men will be all over you.”

Harry snorted. “I wear what I want, when I want, Louis Tomlinson. And tonight I want to wear a pretty pink dress with my pretty pearl guns,” she said, twisting her curls into a quick plait and pinning it up, before buckling the black leather holsters onto her hip. 

“God, I love you,” Louis sighed as she watched Harry freshen up, shaking her head. “A temptress put on this earth solely for the purpose of torturing me.”

“Mmhmm,” Harry agreed lightly, checking her appearance in the dull mirror provided in the room. “Are you going to change, or are you ready?”

Louis glanced down at her clothes, no more dusty than anything else she owned. “Suppose I’m ready, unless you want me to change.”

“The blue shirt that makes your eyes bright?” Harry asked hopefully, winking at Louis. 

“You’re so predictable.” Louis laughed, but let Harry undo the buttons and put her in the blue shirt anyway. They only got a little distracted with kisses, and descended the stairs a few minutes later hand in hand.

Liam and the others were already at the bar, chatting amicably with a few of the men. They were a rowdy mix of cowboys, miners, and a few of a rough looking sort that kept mostly to themselves, save one that was having a conversation with the sheriff. 

“I want to play,” Louis whispered in Harry’s ear, nodding towards where a few people were heading for a poker table. 

“Ok.” Harry smiled. “Go ahead, I’ll go get drinks,” she offered, splitting off to join the others at the bar.

“Two whiskeys,” she ordered with a smile before introducing herself to the men Liam was chatting to, two brothers that ran the mercantile in town. 

“Between you and me, the sheriff runs a tight ship around here,” one of them told Liam in hushed tones. “He takes a tax of all the earnings, 20%, calls it a protection fee or some such, but bandits ride through here all the time.”

His brother shot him a warning look. “Hush, Alex,” he hissed, shaking his head.

Liam frowned, glancing around. “Now that doesn’t seem right,” he said, making eye contact with the girls, who all seemed equally put off by that bit of news. 

“Slim and the Mayor ain’t no better,” Alex muttered, spitting on the floor at his feet. “But we can’t afford to move, now, can we?”

“Alex, I said hush,” the brother said again, firmer this time. 

“Excuse me,” Harry said suddenly, eyes narrowing as they landed on Louis across the bar. She had her cards, and a whore was leaned over her, blowing on them for luck before Louis could pick them up to see what they were. Their drinks arrived then, and Harry tossed hers back before wandering to the poker table, putting a bit of an extra sway in her hips. 

“I’ve got your drink, Louis,” Harry announced her presence. Rather than stepping around to Louis’ open side, she stepped between Louis and the whore, sneaking a sip of Louis’ whiskey as well before settling herself on her partner’s knee, sending a sharp glance at the girl who had previously been draped all over Louis. Harry had nothing against prostitutes, admired their grit, even, but Louis was off limits. 

“Thanks, dove,” Louis said mildly, slipping an arm around Harry’s waist and glancing at her cards. It was a good hand, but Harry let a false disappointed look flash on her features for a split second, hoping to lull the other men into a sense of security. 

“Blow for luck?” Louis murmured playfully in Harry’s ear, offering her the cards. 

“Seemed you already had that taken care of,” Harry said drily, trying not to be bitter.

Louis scoffed. “You’re my girl, Harriet. Not her.”

“Hmm.” Harry made a noncommittal noise but obliged anyway, ignoring the way the other men leered. Part of her wanted to go mingle, dance maybe, but most of her wanted to stay close to Louis. 

Meanwhile, Liam was glancing around the room, sizing up the townspeople. Indeed, it seemed that the sheriff and the rougher looking crowd were given a wide berth by all save Slim. Something didn’t smell quite right around here. 

“I’m going to go check on the horses,” Liam murmured to the girls, eyeing the way two of the men the sheriff was talking to slipped out the door. “You gals stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Liam wandered out after the man, slipping into the alley between the barn and the bar, jogging quietly to the back door and sneaking in. Just as he suspected, half a breath later, the pair walked into the main entrance, whistling lowly at the stagecoach and the dozen horses their posse had arrived with. 

“These folks gotta be loaded. Slim told the sheriff they paid for a week up front,” the taller man murmured. He tried the door on the stagecoach, finding it locked, to Liam’s relief. The bulk of their gold was still hidden in the floorboards of the carriage. 

“Evening, gentleman,” Liam announced his presence, leaning casually against the stall that held Lassie and scratching her ear. “How can I help you?”

They were clearly startled. “What are you doing here?” one of them asked, clearly before he could stop himself. 

“Oh, just checking my horses,” Liam said mildly. “They’ve had a long journey, same as me, and wanted to see they still had water and such. ‘Fraid the stagecoach isn’t for sale, not yet at least. I can keep your names in mind, if you’re interested later.”

The men cleared their throats awkwardly, trying not to look like they had just been caught red handed. “Whereabouts did you come from, anyway?” 

“California,” Liam answered. “Beautiful country. Plenty of gold pockets still left, I’m sure, if a man wants to earn an honest living.” 

The men muttered to themselves, clearly not sure how to get out of the situation they had gotten themselves into. 

“Well, my horses look fine,” Liam said cheerfully. “Whatdya say to a drink, hey boys? Let’s go on back and join the party.”

He walked the men back through the main entrance of the barn, back to the bar, and rejoined his companions while they slunk back to the sheriff like dogs that had just been punished. 

“Well?” Zayn asked mildly, sipping her drink. 

“Caught them in the barn. Not stealing, just scoping out, it looked like.” Liam shrugged. “We should definitely post lookouts at night.” 

The girls nodded their agreement, glancing over to where Harry was excusing herself from Louis’ poker table as a small group of people started playing music from the stage. She was one of the first to the dance floor, pink skirts swaying, and it drew more attention than usual. 

Louis had won the poker game and was excusing herself to join Harry when the tall girl was intercepted by the sheriff. Curious as to how this would work out for the man, Louis redirected herself to the bar to join the others. 

“Two bits says he gets a bone broken.” Liam bet with a grin, offering Louis a fresh drink. 

“Three says she pulls a gun on him.” Louis countered. 

“Two says it’s a perfectly nice dance with a perfectly nice man.” Niall said drily, though she hoped they wouldn’t start their stay in Denver off with conflict. 

“All of the above?” Zayn snorted, watching as Harry accepted the dance and started to follow his lead. They were halfway through the song when the man’s hand slipped lower on her waist and he bent to whisper in her ear. 

“How much for a night with a pretty thing like you?”

Harry scoffed, pushing him away. “I’m not a whore.” 

“I didn’t say you were. I asked how much.” He insisted, movements slow with the liquor he had consumed. He grabbed for her waist again, trying to pull him close. In one swift move, Harry bent his arm back with one hand and pulled her pistol with the other. A hush fell over the bar. 

“Things didn’t work out well for the last man that tried to touch me after I told him no.” She announced firmly. “So maybe you should listen.” She started to let him go and thought the better of it, grabbing at his pinky and twisting it until it popped.

The sheriff yowled and clutched his injured hand, but no one made a move to stop Harry as she returned to her family at the bar, a sour look on her face. 

“I hate men.” She muttered. “No offense, Liam. But can’t a girl just get a dance?”

“None taken.” Liam shrugged, trying to ignore the way Zayn was holding out her hand for everyone to pay up.

“And as a matter of fact, she can.” Louis offered her arm to Harry with a grin before smacking three bits into Zayn’s open palm, forcing Niall and Liam to pay up too. 

“Why thank you,” Harry smiled, letting Louis guide her back to the floor, the music resuming as the sheriff stalked back to his cronies. Louis began leading Harry through a lively dance, making the taller girl laugh and blush as she was swirled around in time to the music. 

“I didn’t know you could dance.” Harry giggled accusingly, breathless from the movement. 

“I’m full of surprises, Ms. Harriet. Gotta keep you on your toes somehow.” Louis teased, kissing the back of her hand as the song wound down and guiding her back to the bar. “Keep the romance alive, hmm?”

“Suppose so.” Harry agreed, smiling at her lover. The others had been watching from a distance, on edge for any sign of trouble regarding Harry’s assault on the sheriff, but none seemed to be arising. In fact, most of the townspeople seemed secretly glad, muffling giggles and smiles.   
  


The night went on without further hiccup, and they trudged, weary, back up the stairs. 

“I can take first watch in the barn.” Zayn offered. 

“Get me at midnight, then.” Liam nodded. “2 per night seems reasonable, the risk isn’t that high. The rest of us can all get a full nights sleep.”

They all agreed, heading to their respective rooms while Zayn went to camp out in the driver’s seat of the stagecoach.

Things were uneventful for their first week. No one tried to steal from the barn, they began getting an understanding of the town and making a few friends among the neighbors despite the tension between them, Thomas, and the Sheriff. Liam continued to mull over the words the mercantile owner had shared with them, trying to figure out what funny business was going on in this town. 

The answer was provided to them out of the blue six days after they rode into town. Louis and Harry were in the barn, grooming the horses and enjoying the quiet while the others were looking for houses to rent in town. There was a distant scream and the sound of gunfire and thundering hooves, making Louis and Harry look up sharply, make eye contact, and swing onto their mounts bareback, thundering out of the barn. 

They both drew the pistols they still wore on their hips, strong legs wrapped around the barrels of their horses as they galloped into the street, assessing the situation. Lucky snorted as they were greeted with the sight of a small gang on the far end of the street, trying to break into a few businesses. 

“Everyone get inside!” Louis shouted, urging Birdy down the street and firing once she knew the coast was clear. Liam and the others were also jogging into the fray with guns blazing, 

The sheriff was nowhere to be found. 

The bandits seemed taken aback by the vision of people fighting back, and they turned to flee almost as quickly as they arrived, though not before Louis and Harry had felled three and Liam a fourth. Lucky slid to a stop at the end of the street, snorting and swinging as Harry kept a finger on the trigger of each of the six shooters she held, the mother-of-peal handles of Oliver’s gift glinting in the sun. 

Once they were sure the coast was clear, Harry slid from Lucky’s slick back, patting him gently and leaving him standing in the street, trusting him to stay close. They approached the men that hadn’t escaped, glancing down in disgust. 

“I know this one.” Liam said, indicating the one he had shot exiting the dressmakers shop. “He was with the sheriff that night at the bar, one of the ones that snuck off to see the horses.”

Harry frowned and glanced around. “Where is he, anyway?” She demanded. “Those guns could be heard miles off, and he didn’t come to help.”

Liam bent to pull a piece of parchment sticking out from the breast pocket of the dead outlaw. He unfolded it, scanning it and laughing incredulously. It was then that the sheriff appeared in the doorway of the law office, gun drawn. 

“The sheriff hired these men.” Liam announced to the town, holding up the paper as people began to cautiously open their doors and step into the street once more. “Your sheriff, and Slim McGee, both signed this paper promising 50% share of whatever earnings they robbed here today.” He stared down the officer, shaking his head and handing the paper for Harry to confirm. 

“You’re lying.” The sheriff said, shaking his head. “I did no such thing, it’s forged, I wouldn’t …”

“Your so called protection tax wasn’t enough? You felt the need to rob us blind, knowing we had nothing left to give?” Someone yelled, an angry chorus of agreement going up among the people. 

The sheriff seemed to panic. “How do we know that these people didn’t plant that? They’re newcomers, we don’t know who they are, where they really came from. They planned this, and made it out to be me!”

“Who here knows the signature of these men?” Harry called, glancing around and passing the paper off to the mercantile owner, who confirmed their validity. 

With that, the sheriff leveled his gun towards Liam, trying to run for Lucky and jump on him. The horse shied away with a snort, and the sheriff suddenly fell, Zayn’s bullet in his chest. 

“Someone bring me Slim.” Liam said, voice the scary level of calm it became when he was truly angry. They may never have been personally wronged by these men, but there was some level of responsibility he felt already, to take care of this dwindling town. 

Slim seemed to have disappeared, and the town was left reeling. Things had changed for them in the blink of an eye, seemingly for the better, but they had no leadership, no notion of where to go from here without the oppressive thumb of corrupt power over them. A few of the business owners arranged a town meeting in the bar that evening, trying to discuss where to go from here. 

It was chaos. Everyone had a different idea for what needed to happen, who should be sheriff, did they need a sheriff, what about a mayor, what happens to the bar, who should be allowed to buy it- 

“Quiet!” Louis finally roared, slamming her fist on the bar. A hush fell over the bar, and Louis took a swig of her whiskey, running a hand through her hair as she felt all eyes land on her. 

“I know you all don’t know us well.” She began. “And have no reason to trust us, so far. But allow me to make a few suggestions.” She sipped her drink again. “Liam Payne should be interim sheriff until an election can be made in a months time. That allows everyone to build a campaign, leaves the town with some semblance of security, and gives you time to heal from the injustices you have endured. Liam served as deputy for two years in California, he is well qualified.” 

When no one appeared to have any complaints, Louis continued. “No one buys the bar.” It seemed the biggest concern, as it was very lucrative. “Ownership transfers to the town itself. We can discuss whether profits can be collected by citizens, or if it simply becomes a pool for the town that can be drawn from for infrastructure. The girls,” Louis raised a drink towards the women that Thomas hired, sitting in a group on the stairs, “can continue to work here. They will draw no wage from the bar, but can set their own prices. They may rent out their rooms for a bit a night for working, or 2 if they intend to continue living here. Fair boarding prices.” She said simply. “Niall ran a bar and hotel in California and I’m sure could keep this place in working order, until we either elect someone to run it, decide it would be easier to sell to a private party, or whatever final verdict is reached.”

The group seemed stunned into silence by the quiet logic of the rough-hewn woman, and no one had any qualms to raise. As easy as pie, the terms Louis set were agreed upon, to be revisited in a months time. 

The town seemed to come alive over the next few days. It was like a cloud had been lifted; people were out shopping more, they were more friendly and visited their neighbors, and the Wild Roses were welcomed into the town with open arms. Their outlaw past was still kept under wraps, but Liam settled in quickly as deputy, and the rest took over running the bar and helping with repairs of the damaged businesses. 

The election came quicker than anticipated, and Liam was unanimously elected sheriff permanently. The bar was a bit more of a point of contention still. While everyone agreed that the group seemed to be doing a better job running the bar than any of the others could claim to, the problem of how to split the profits remained more difficult. In reality, people would get pennies on the dollar if the money was split between the whole town, and regulations could not be agreed on for how to go about a town pool of funds to draw from. 

“I’ll buy it.” Louis finally offered, after over an hour of debate. “$10 to every town member over the age of 18.” It wasn’t worth nearly that much, but Louis didn’t care- it was good business, and they had the wealth to spare.

The townspeople looked at each other, not sure what to make of that. 

“There are over 100 of us.” Alex, the mercantile owner, said dubiously. That amount of money was almost inconceivable to a town so impoverished for so long.

“And each of you will get $10,” Louis shrugged. “Tomorrow morning.” 

They all looked around again, waiting for someone to make a move. “All in favor?” Alex finally spoke, knowing that was far more than he could hope to gain from this otherwise.

Gradually, hands started going up, until there was a clear majority, almost the entire town. 

“Wonderful.” Louis rubbed her hands together. “Tomorrow morning, then, the ownership of this establishment will transfer to my family. Are there any other points of discussion for this evening?”

When none were raised, the meeting gradually dissipated, people either wandering home or staying to have a few drinks. Niall bustled behind the bar, having secretly missed this part of her life. It was fun to be a host again. 

“Suppose we really are settled here, then.” Harry smiled, tucked in close to Louis’ side where they were sipping whiskey at the bar. 

“Suppose so.” Louis smiled. “This town is going to boom, someone needs to make sure it doesn’t crash.” She joked. “Besides, I have a good feeling about this. They were a flock with no shepherd.”

“And you’ve always been one.” Harry agreed, thinking back over the last two years with the wagon train, the leadership of their gang, the way the entire town in California had seemed drawn to her. Louis was a rare born leader, and if anyone could make this town thrive, it would be her.

“I dunno about that.” Louis snorted, but didn’t argue further. “You aren’t upset, are you?”

“Why would I be? It’s a drop in the bucket of the gold we have, and we’ll earn it all back soon enough.” Harry shrugged. “We had agreed to settle here, might as well establish ourselves before building a home. Niall seems thrilled, Liam is happy. I can never tell with Zayn, but she’s always sure to tell you if she doesn’t agree with something. We can take the third floor as our own, now, without paying board. You can even turn the livery into a real business now.”

“You’re right.” Louis smiled. “I still should have asked you all before I offered, though.”

“The outcome would have been the same.” Harry said simply. “Now, let’s go play cards. I like watching you beat the men.”

The summer went on without a hitch, with their little family gradually finding a place in the town. They lent money for building and repairs, started up a small store for mining equipment as rumors of gold in the Rockies started floating around. The town began to boom around them, and they found themselves the unofficial leaders of the city. 

The Marshals found them in early September. The trees were just starting to change and there was the barest hint of cooler air drifting through the dusty streets. The locals promised that winter came hard and fast here, but the sun often shone through the snow. 

“Afternoon, Sheriff.” One of the three men greeted, tipping his hat and eyeing Liam up and down. “Any troubles round here?”

“No sir, nothing as of late.” Liam said, stubbing out his cigarette and squinting up at the hard looking men. “Anything I can help you boys with?”

“Matter of fact, you can. We’ve been looking for a rowdy group called the Wild Roses. Trail went cold a few months ago, but there’s been some talk a wealthy group of gals moved in to these parts. 

Liam crossed his arms. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar. There’s no Wild Roses in these parts, Marshal.” 

“Hmm. Well, then you won’t mind if we take a look around, now, will you?”

“Be my guest,” Liam gestured, praying that the girls were quicker thinking than he was.

The men tied their horses to the post there and wandered into the mercantile, finding Harry there assisting Alex and his brother Greg with inventory. 

“Afternoon, ma’am. We’re looking for a group called the Wild Roses, an outlaw gang. You heard anything about them?”

“Well, I’ve heard about them.” Harry tutted. “But we’ve nothing like that around here, no sir.”

“I see. What’s your name, ma’am?” He narrowed his eyes. The wanted posters were rough estimates of their likeness, but it still set Harry’s nerves on edge. 

“This is my wife, Henrietta Fisher, and I would appreciate you not questioning her. She’s a nervous type,” Alex interjected, appearing from the back room and crossing his arms. “If you gentlemen aren’t purchasing anything, I would appreciate it if you would let us get back to our work.”

The marshals glanced between Harry and Alex, not convinced. Alex quirked an eyebrow and stepped forward to stand with Harry, taking her hand. “Don’t worry, darling, these men were just leaving.” He said again, standing his ground until the men left. 

“Thank you.” Harry said quietly, resuming her counting. “That was kind of you.”

“It’s no trouble, Harry. You and your family have done more for this town than anyone.” He shrugged. “But out of curiosity… It was you, wasn’t it? Zayn shot the sheriff without a blink. You and Louis are better horsemen than I’ve ever seen.”

Harry shrugged. “I simply don’t know what you’re talking about. We came from California where our men struck gold.” She grinned. 

Alex just laughed and shook his head.

The marshals were hard pressed to find anyone willing to sell out the Roses. Zayn had been helping out Ms. Anne in the dressmakers shop, a skill that no one saw coming, and the old woman had insisted that this was her granddaughter and that she knew nothing of roses, wild or otherwise. Niall had been in the bar, stocking fresh bottles, and recited Liam’s speech that he was her husband and they came from California. Louis was nowhere to be found, though in reality she had simply fallen asleep in the hayloft of the barn that she was fixing up. The marshals rode out of town empty handed, and the Roses escaped the law to raise hell another day. 

  
  
  
  


It was the first of November when Slim returned. A dusting of snow had fallen and melted a few times already, mild by all accounts, and the sun was shining despite the promise of clouds hanging over the mountains in the distance.

Liam, wearing his shiny Sheriff’s badge, was sitting on the porch of the law building polishing his gun and smoking a cigarette when he saw a cloud of dust on the horizon. The men were all up in the rivers and the mines, the women were sweeping their porches and herding their children, and the rest of their gang was at the bar, tending business in the third floor, which they had made their office. 

It was a rough bunch that Slim had found, and he was back for revenge on the Wild Roses. He knew they had outed him, and he intended to get his town back, with interest. It was no secret that the Wild Roses had stolen more money than anyone cared to count, and most assumed it was hidden away here in town. He wanted his life back, his bar back, and their gold to boot.

Liam sighed heavily as he peered up from beneath the brim of his hat at the cloud of dust approaching from the horizon, and holstered his gun. 

“Hey, Joey.” Liam whistled sharply to get the attention of the leggy eight year old that hung around most days. “Run down and tell Louis that trouble is coming. Then holler at your mama, tell her to get you inside. I don’t want you on the streets, ok? I reckon those boys aren’t here for a friendly chat.”

Joey ran off quickly to the office just down the street, and Liam stood, watching the cloud continue to close in on the tiny town. He shouted across the street at some of the women to round up their children and lock their doors. 

Louis, Harry, Niall and Zayn approached then, all armed with irons. Zayn and Niall climbed up on balconies at each side of the street, both staying well out of sight as a dozen horses slid to a stop in front of the sheriff’s office. 

“Morning, boys,” Liam greeted, tipping his hat. “What’s the rush?”

Slim maneuvered to the front of the group, his paint pony breathing heavily beneath him. “Morning, sheriff. Just out for a nice ride, I reckon. Here to settle some business.” His narrow, dark eyes locked in on the girls. “Morning, ladies. Long time no see.”

Louis cocked one hip, her hand rested easily on one of her guns. “Morning, Slim. I’d say it’s a pleasure to see you, but mama raised me not to lie.”

Slim laughed. “Oh, of course. Raised you not to lie, but said nothing about cheating a man out his hard earned living.” 

Louis shrugged. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” she said, blue eyes dragging over the group. They were a ragtag bunch with more brawn than brains, and even the brawn was lacking. They all looked underfed and exhausted. 

“Now listen, Louis,” Slim spoke again. “Just point us towards the gold, and you can be on your merry way. No need for anyone to get hurt.”

Louis scoffed. “Sorry, son.” She shrugged. “I suggest joining the men up in the rivers if you want gold. There’s a fair few pockets left up there I’m sure.” She spoke now to the men following Slim. “Boys, you’re free to ride on out of here with no quarrel from me. I’d recommend it. I’ve faced worse odds and won.”

Harry smirked to herself as she watched a few of them begin to trade nervous glances, stepping up to flank Liam’s other side. “She’s a sure shot, boys. I’ve never seen her miss. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve missed a shot either.”

Slim rolled his eyes. “You bitches ought to be ashamed of yourselves, parading around like this, pretending to be men. Disgusting.” He drew his gun. “This town will be better off without you. Now tell me where the gold is before I have to go knock on every goddamn door until someone shows me.”

Louis drew her own weapon. “‘Fraid that won’t happen, Tom. One last chance, boys. Ride on out of here.”

Harry wasn’t sure who fired the first shot, but chaos descended on the town half a heartbeat later. It seemed to last for eternities as Liam and Louis fired rounds off around her and ducked behind posts as Slim and his boys returned fire. She could hear shots coming from above and knew Zayn and Niall were picking off others. She didn’t seem to blink, felt the weight of the gun in her hand but didn’t stop to check if her marks were hitting where she intended. 

She heard a shout and turned to see Slim with his gun leveled at Louis and everything seemed to slow. She watched his finger squeeze the trigger, watched the bullet leave the barrel, and watched as Louis ducked away. Slim slumped in his saddle suddenly, his horse wheeling in a panic as it’s rider became dead weight, Zayn’s bullet draining his life.

It was then that a white hot sensation spread across her side, and Harry grabbed at her belly it only to find her hand bloody when it came away. She looked down and saw one of Slim’s meaner looking cronies wounded on the ground, smoking gun still pointed at her. She returned fire before gasping in pain and sliding down the wall of the sheriff’s office, edges of her vision going black.

It couldn’t have been more than two minutes before the dust cleared, and Liam looked around to see eight of Slim’s men lying dead or dying in the street, their leader among them. The rest were fleeing just as quickly as they had arrived. He holstered his irons with a stiff nod, before whipping his head around as Louis let out a blood curdling scream. He found her knelt over Harry, who’s crisp white shirt was rapidly turning red.

“Someone get the doctor!” he shouted, projecting his voice down the street as he scooped Harry up and carried her inside his office, resting her down on the desk and yanking her shirt off to assess the wound. It was bad- the bullet had skidded upward and left a long wound from her thigh, across her hip and up her ribcage. She was losing a lot of blood, but she didn’t seem to be gutshot, a small piece of hope he would cling to. He prodded around, desperate to find an exit wound, but it was nowhere to be found. It seemed the bullet was lodged in her rib. 

Louis was hysterical, screaming and sobbing at him to move, to get out of her way, to do something, to get a doctor. Niall and Zayn appeared in the doorway. 

“Get her out of here!” Liam shouted, wadding up Harry’s already soaked shirt and pressing tight against the wound to try and slow the bleeding. 

“Louis, come on,” Niall tried gently, but with the way the woman was screaming and kicking, they practically had to bear hug her and escort her back to their rented space, wrapping her in a quilt and holding her tightly until she finally fell into a shocked stupor.

Liam was feeling desperately for some sort of pulse when the doctor arrived, escorted by faithful little Joey. 

“She’s losing too much blood, she’s fading,” the doctor said, pressing a finger to Harry’s pulse point. “I can give her morphine for the pain, to ease her passing.”

“She lives or you die,” Liam said simply. “I’m not going to be the one to tell Louis Tomlinson that this girl is dead, not after the last time they were separated.” 

The doctor went pale at that and clenched his jaw. “Very well.” 

He opened his case and poured a bottle of whiskey over the wound, stitching where he could and cauterizing where he couldn’t. She remained blissfully unconscious for all of it, something that scared Liam as much as it relieved him. The doctor came to the same conclusion about the lack of exit wound, that the bullet was lodged in her rib. 

“The bone is likely cracked, but I cannot remove the bullet. She will heal or she will not, it’s in God’s hands now. You tell Louis that I did everything I could,” the doctor said firmly, giving Harry a shot of morphine and washing his hands clean of the blood. “Gently move her to a bed, keep her quiet and warm. If she’s still alive in the morning, I’ll come by with more morphine. You can drizzle bone broth and honey in her mouth starting then too. I’ll fetch a stretcher for you. Try not to bend her, the skin is too fragile to withstand much.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

“Sheriff.” The man nodded brusquely, stepping back into the dusty street. 

[ _**desperado - the cactus blossoms** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/7AddFQXBCAmMPWcV2K9nmp?si=NjwSVh7jQS2fsZHW0stTww)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 3 will be up within a few days 
> 
> the guilt i have for almost killing harry two different times is like. mega.


	3. Settling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting this... it was hard to finally say that I'm done with it!

_[ **rocky mountain high - john denver** ](https://open.spotify.com/track/1ne9wOtDF2jM6Cm8WBkaER?si=Qxuu7a0QR8SyWFXsxCZCwA) _

Harry sat bareback on Lucky, a light breeze pulling at her loose curls. She surveyed the rolling hills and the grasses that swayed on them, shades of green and gold all mixed. Scrubby bushes scattered through, the occasional bird perched on thorny branches. The Rocky Mountains rose in stark contrast on the western horizon, blocking out the evening sun as the sky turned dusty pinks and oranges. 

After five long years, this was hers. She sighed happily, carding her fingers through Lucky’s coarse black mane. “We finally made it,” she told him softly. “Did you ever think you’d see the day, Luck?”

He snorted in response, grazing the thick grasses at his feet. 

“Me neither,” Harry admitted. Five years since she left Missouri, five years of adventure and heartbreak and the occasional gut wrenching moment of panic. 

As the sun sunk lower, she nudged Lucky and guided him with her knees back towards “home,” the small ring of tents where they were sleeping for these warm summer months. Louis and Liam had cleared a large patch of flat ground and were hauling timber from nearby trees, the foundation of a large cabin in the works. A river flowed a quarter mile to the north, the booming town of Denver lay a half-days ride to the east. It was perfect. 

“‘Lo, dove.” Louis smiled up at her from the small fire they had crackling, skin tanned and rough from hard days in the sun. 

“Hi.” Harry smiled, dismounting and hobbling Lucky before letting him mingle with the rest of their small herd. 

“Have a nice ride?” Louis asked, stoking the flames and standing to kiss Harry. 

“Yes, lovely,” Harry confirmed. “I think I’ll have the whole lot mapped soon.” 

“Glad one of us has the smarts for that,” Louis teased, tugging on Harry’s curls. “You’re still happy with the spot?”

“Thrilled.” Harry grinned, kissing Louis again. “Where’s Liam?”

“He and Niall headed out to find something for supper,” Louis hummed.

“Sure they did,” Harry joked. After three years of dancing around each other, Liam had finally proposed. The pair were scarcely found apart anymore. 

“Exactly what I said,” Louis laughed. “Which is why Zayn is  _ actually  _ out finding something for supper.”

“Perfect.” Harry grinned. 

The rest of the family arrived before long, Zayn with a pair of large trout and Liam and Niall with a hare. They cooked both over the fire, chatting until the embers burned low and they turned in for the evening. 

“I’m going to head to Denver tomorrow, pick up a few supplies so we can start getting the cabin going properly,” Louis informed Harry quietly, as they curled up beneath the tent. “Anything you need from town?”

“Mmm. Nothing I can think of, no,” Harry murmured, tucking herself against Louis side against the slight chill that settled around them in the absence of the sun. 

“So a pretty dress and some candies?” Louis teased, kissing the top of Harry’s head. 

“You hush.” Harry laughed. “You act like I’m spoiled liking those things when you buy them for me without even asking. Besides, a pretty dress would just get ruined out here, there’s no house to store it in.”

“Ah, right. Suppose I should build you your house first,” Louis consented. “I just like how you look in pretty dresses. It’s a purely selfish endeavor. Has nothing to do with how bright your eyes get,” she teased, playing with Harry’s curls. They were longer now than they had been when they first met, and Louis adored them all the more. 

“Do you know, a week from now will be five years since we met in Missouri?” Harry whispered, biting back a smile as she gazed up at Louis, trying to stave off the sleepiness.

“I do know,” Louis chuckled, bending to kiss Harry’s forehead. “And what an adventure we’ve had, my dove. I’m so glad to have met you. I’m so glad to finally give you this house I promised you five years ago.”

“An incredible adventure, and all of it good.” Harry sighed happily. “I am glad too. I am ready for this new chapter in our journey.”

“Not all of it,” Louis whispered under her breath, her fingers tracing along the ugly scar that twisted from Harry’s left side down her hip and across her thigh, skirting over the soft fabric of Harry’s slip. 

“All of it,” Harry said firmly. “I would trade none of it, not a moment. Everything that happened has brought us to this moment.”

“I almost lost you, and I’ll never forgive myself for that, Harriet.” Louis shrugged softly. “If I had lost you, I don’t know what I would have done. I would not have had it in me to live. And for the rest of my life, I am going to do everything in my power to make your life perfect.”

“You would have done that anyway, Lou. As long as you’re here, everything is perfect.” Harry smiled softly, tipping Louis chin with one finger and quieting her with a kiss. “Go to sleep now. You’ll need to wake early if you mean to make it to Denver and back before dark.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Louis grinned. “Good night, my dove.”

“G’night, my love,” Harry rhymed with a wink, and the pair drifted off easily. 

Harry rode out again on Lucky the next day, charting their new property to the best of her ability. Louis had been long gone by the time Harry woke, so she made a quick breakfast for the rest of the little family before heading out. 

She felt a little bad that she wasn’t able to help raise the cabin with the rest, but she hadn’t been able to move as well since her injury. Even getting on Lucky was difficult some mornings, but the gelding was patient with her. As it was, Liam and Louis did most of the heavy lifting. Harry guided the horses when they were needed to drag or hoist something, and Zayn did most of the measurements and precise cutting, while Niall helped clear the scrub and grass where they were building. All of them had told Harry with no minced words that she was underfoot more than not, and to please find another project before she hurt herself. So here she was, mapping all 600 acres of land one day at a time. 

Louis hadn’t returned by nightfall, leaving a pang of worry in Harry’s gut. She knew, most likely, that her partner had simply been delayed in Denver. It didn’t make the waiting any easier, though, and Harry found herself bedding down beside Zayn that night for some comfort. She resolved that if Louis had not returned by noon that she would ride after her to Denver, gimp leg be damned. 

She was saddling Lucky to do just that the next afternoon when finally she spotted a figure on the horizon. It was Louis, mounted on Birdy and leading their two pack mules, laden down with supplies. 

“What kept you? I was fixing to ride out after you,” Harry greeted, the last bit of her fretful night bleeding out as Louis arrived at their plot and swung down from the saddle. 

**“** Well, hello to you too. I had to see a man about an anniversary gift for my lover.” Louis teased, greeting Harry with a kiss. 

Harry blushed, but not without placing a stern hand on her hip. “You look far too pleased with yourself. I thought I told you a dress would just get ruined out here.”

“It’s not a dress.” Louis grinned, pulling a satchel down off of the front of her saddle. Said satchel began squirming, and a moment later a shaggy black blob with a lolling pink tongue poked its head out.

“Louis Tomlinson you didn’t,” Harry gasped, covering her mouth. “Good lord, I might kill you.” 

Louis couldn’t stop laughing, watching as Harry tried to conceal her delight. “Go on then. Pick him up, he’s yours.”

Harry scooped him out of the satchel and was immediately greeted by several wet puppy kisses. “Oh, you’re trouble. I can already tell,” she cooed, laughing delightedly. Niall, Zayn, and Liam all arrived at this point, trying to see what all the fuss was about. 

“Oh, god he’s cute.” Niall beamed, reaching out to scratch his ear. He was all legs and ears, a mongrel with no apparent breed to him. He was black with a white chest and a white strip up his nose, clearly a pup that would grow into a good sized dog. He lapped up all the attention, tongue lolling happily. 

Harry set him down so he could sniff around the camp before turning to hug Louis tightly. “Thank you. I love him. And you.” She smiled. 

“I’m glad you like him.” Louis grinned, kissing Harry softly. “Figured if I’m building you your house, you need a big ol’ dog on the porch guarding it.” 

Harry laughed. “Suppose so,” she agreed. 

The framework of the house went up over the next two weeks. It was big, maybe too big, but Harry supposed they deserved a comfortable place after so many years on the road. Besides, there were five of them, so that was four bedrooms, plus a fifth for guests, a kitchen, a living room, and an office. With the frame set, they set to laying brick for the chimney. It was large, and would divide the living room from the kitchen with a hearth on each side so that they could both cook and heat the lower level. That took close to a week as they built it up two stories before beginning to lay brick and wood for the rest of the house. 

A huge pine tree stood on the south face of the building, one that Harry insisted they not fell for lumber. “It’s been there so long, Louis. Look at it, it has to be a hundred years old, it’s the only one for miles. Let it stand.” She even started calling their homestead the Lonely Pine, which stuck. Before they knew it, Zayn had whittled a sign that read The Lonely Pine Ranch, though they had nowhere to hang it yet. 

It was nine months before the house was close enough to call done, and winter was quickly setting in. It was sparse outside and in, but Louis promised to add on a porch and flesh out the remainder of the home as soon as the snows began to melt in the spring. 

Harry wound up naming the dog Trouble, as that was all he seemed to be in, and he had grown into a tall, shaggy thing that would no doubt keep a good handle on his territory. He was stuck like glue to Harry, always at her feet as she cooked and kept their little home clean. 

Louis and Liam erected a little lean-to for the horses last minute to keep the wind off, and a rough corral to keep them nearby. The winter came hard and fast, as Colorado winter’s tended to, but the house had strong bones and kept them snug, a fire always burning in the hearth. 

[ _**the bones - hozier and maren morris** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/1yTTMcUhL7rtz08Dsgb7Qb?si=pWBPrTY5TJCMhryD0YCE-Q)

“Come spring, we’ll start with the outside,” Louis promised quietly, curled up in an armchair with Harry in front of the fire. “First the porch, finish off the house. We’ll dig a root cellar just outside so we don’t have to go far for supper. Then we’ll build a proper barn, with stalls for the horses and a chicken coop.” 

“I’ll dig a little garden behind the house,” Harry supplied, blinking sleepily. This had become their ritual: ward off the cold with plans for the future. “Trouble can help me tend it,” she joked. The black dog didn’t even stir from his place in front of the fire. 

“I’ll buy you seed as soon as the path to Denver is clear again,” Louis promised with a smile, kissing Harry’s jaw. They had loaded up on supplies from the city before winter set in, but fresh vegetables would be impossible for the next few months. It was like their journey west all over again: biscuits, salted meat, dried fruit, and beans. Harry and Niall did their best to make it taste good, but there was only so much they could do. 

“Carrots and peas and corn and cabbage early in the spring,” Harry sighed happily. “Then squash and cucumbers and peppers and melons later. Chickens for fresh eggs, cows for beef. It’s perfect, Louis.”

“I’m glad you’re happy, my love.” Louis kissed her again. “Spring will be here before you know.” 

Their first winter had been mild, by all accounts. The snows were frequent, but light, and spring came early that year. By April the snows had gone, Harry had tilled the earth where her garden was to be, and Liam and Louis had set back to work on finishing the house. They bought glass in Denver and made windows, started little details like shutters and fixtures to hang the curtains that Harry sewed. They bought furniture and made bookshelves, and by August, the house inside was nearly finished. 

It was in August, though, that the storms came. Nearly every afternoon for two weeks, short bursts of rain, and hail, and wind screamed through their little haven, leaving Harry shaken despite Louis’ comforting words. As soon as the sky would begin to darken, Louis would bundle Harry in the living room, safe from the windows and as sheltered as the house could be, and begin to sing to her. 

Liam had been outside, working on the half completed barn, when he saw it. They were two weeks into the stormy season now, and on the horizon, a mean looking, greenish wall of cloud was twisting into a funnel. He swore and opened the gate for the horses, praying that the well broke ones would keep them close, before running into the house, Zayn and Niall in tow. 

“Twister,” he said grimly, and Harry went cold, only kept from hysterics by Louis’ firm embrace and the feeling of the rest of the family huddling around them, clinging tightly to one another as Trouble whined and paced the room. 

“Trouble, sit,” Louis ordered, the dog obeying with another whine. Harry squeezed her eyes shut as the wind continued to roar, a thundering racket like a runaway train that shook the house. She could hear debris hitting the walls of the cabin, could hear Louis’ thundering heart where her head was pressed against her partner’s chest, could hear the sound of the newly-finished shutters slamming-

And then it was gone. The silence was almost louder than the approaching tornado had been, and Harry heart the wracking breathing coming from her mouth to be the only thing she could hear anymore. 

“Harriet, darling,” Louis was whispering. “Come back to me, dove.” She rubbed over Harry’s back gently, soothing the younger woman. “Harry, it’s gone. We’re ok, darling.”

Harry forced a deep breath and allowed her eyes to open, finding Louis’ kind smile and Trouble’s wagging tail and Zayn’s extended hand. She accepted it shakily, eyes still swimming with unshed tears, as Liam opened the door to reveal the skies clearing and Lucky leading the herd back towards the barn at a brisk trot, Birdy bringing up the rear and keeping the unbroke colts in line with a nip here and there. 

Louis let out a shaky laugh, running her fingers through her hair. “It’s all clear, dove. Everything is still standing, even the chicken coop. Your garden is a little torn up though, and some of the house is damaged. We’ll fix it all right up, don’t you worry.”

Harry couldn’t bring herself to leave the house the rest of the day, too afraid that another twister would come up out of nowhere. Not even to tend the horses or the garden, she found herself glued to the fireplace, Trouble by her side, all through the night. She couldn’t sleep, still pale and shaky from the experience. 

She finally passed out in Louis’ chair around five the next morning, and only woke to the sound of a shovel piercing the earth. Hesitantly, she opened the front door to find Louis waist deep in the earth, digging a storm cellar near the foundation, hands blistering and brow sweating. 

When the next storm rolled in, Louis tucked her in the corner of the cellar with a quilt and a song, and Harry found she wasn’t so frightened after all. 

By the next winter, the storm cellar was double-purposed as a root cellar and filled to the brim with food, the barn was complete with eight large stalls, room for hay, and a joined shed for shelter for the animals outside. A chicken coop was along one wall, full of six laying hens and a rooster, and Louis even surprised Harry with a dairy cow after one trip to Denver. It came along with the hundred-odd head of cattle that Louis had purchased- they intended to breed and raise them for a year or so, grow their herd, and then begin a business in selling cattle and meat. 

Their funds from their outlaw days were far from exhausted, but operating a legal business would prevent suspicious people from asking questions and also give the rest of the family something to work on while Louis began gentling the colts to sell. They had a good sized horse herd now, the six horses that they regularly used, four to rotate out, and eight yearling colts that Louis had bought as projects. 

“Harriet, you are not going out there,” Louis said firmly. The roaring fire lit in the main hearth was staving off the chill of the evening, but the blizzard raging outside was the worst Louis had ever seen, despite the fact it was mid March and it had been a balmy 55 degrees the previous day.

“I am, Louis,” Harry said, lacing up her boots and adding another layer over her thickest gown. “I have to check on the horses. Annie is about to foal, and Daisy’s calf was only born yesterday.” She was referring to one of her favorite mares and the dairy cow she kept. She tied a rope around her waist and handed the tail of it to Louis. “Here, so I can find my way back, and you can find me. If I’m not back in thirty minutes, then come after me and give one of the others the tail so we can find our way back. You can’t stop me, Louis.”

“You’re insufferable,” Louis groaned, scrubbing a hand over her face. “How are you even going to find the barn? You can hardly see your hand in front of your face out there!”

Harry sighed. “I’ll be fine, Louis. It’s barely two hundred feet away. I promise.” She kissed her lover and made sure the rope was snug around her waist, draping a cloak around her shoulders and grabbing a lamp. “You stay here, Trouble,” she ordered when the dog stood from his place by the fire. He sat with a huff and watched as she opened the door to the freezing wind, trudging through the snow to the barn. 

It took Harry nearly ten minutes to make it the short distance to the barn. Her lamp was no help, and she really only found it by running headlong into the corral rail. She felt her way to the left until she found the barn, and then the door handle, sighing in relief when she wrenched it open and stepped into the warmth of the building. All of the horses were in stalls munching hay, but she couldn’t see Annie’s head among them. 

“Damn,” Harry whispered and untied the rope from her waist and tied it instead to a post in the barn, needing to have more freedom of movement than it allowed as she made her way down the aisle. She swore colorfully when she found the mare lying down in her stall, sweaty and clearly having trouble delivering this foal. “Dammit to hell and back,” she muttered, shaking off her layers and going to help the mare. 

“I knew this would happen. How did I know this would happen?” Harry asked no one in particular, kneeling and ignoring the twinge in her hip, feeling the foal as best she could. As far as she could tell it was in the correct position, just large, so she began pulling gently as Annie pushed. “That’s a good girl, come on,” Harry encouraged, biting her lip. “Come on, Annie. I know, you’re doing so good lovely girl. Come on.” As if a dam had broken, the foal was suddenly on the floor in front of Harry. She blinked in surprise, laughing to herself. “Don’t look at me as if you were having it easy,” she accused Annie. “If you didn’t need my help you should’ve had him out already.” She began rubbing the foal down with the towels she had stored here for Daisy’s birth yesterday, the birth she had missed and instead found an already healthy, dry baby in the time she had taken to go make a quick dinner. 

Annie stood and began sniffing the baby, a leggy little buckskin colt, so Harry got out of the way and let motherhood take over. She watched with a fond smile as Annie licked the foal clean, watched them whicker quietly to each other as the baby looked around, disoriented, at the brand new world it was in. 

Harry looked over her shoulder as the barn door opened to find a very irritated, cold looking Louis. “Sorry, sorry. Annie was foaling,” she informed softly. “Didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Just glad you’re safe,” Louis soothed. “Everything go well?”

“Had to help her a bit, but he looks healthy.” The colt was struggling to get his feet under him, and Annie watched, concerned, as he attempted to figure out what legs were and how to use them. Harry and Louis giggled quietly, watching him for another twenty minutes or so while he tried to stand and nurse. Once they observed him do both, they bundled back up and followed the rope, hand in hand, back to the house. 

It was late spring, after the snows, when trouble finally found them.

Liam, Zayn, and Louis were out with the cows when the men rode up. Harry tried not to be bitter about not being able to herd and doctor them with Louis as she had daydreamed about years ago, but her new reality was a leg that made it hard to ride all day at best and a danger to be on the ground with the animals at worst. Instead she tended her garden and her chickens and milked the dairy cow, kept up with the business with Niall and played housewife and was content with that. Zayn had whittled her a walking stick (“It is  _ not _ a cane, Harriet, stop fussing,”) for the bad days, and Harry used it now to help her stand from where she was on her knees in the soil, plucking weeds out of the damp earth of her garden. 

Her movement made Trouble wake from where he was dozing in the sun beside her, and the big black dog’s hackles went up when it became clear these men were riding for the house and not simply passing by. Harry instinctively felt for the pistol on her hip, just to make sure it was there, as she walked forward to the porch to meet the men. Lucky and the small herd of pack mules and green-broke colts were in the corral, ears alert as the whole group seemed to watch these men ride in. 

“Afternoon, ma’am.” The leader tipped his hat to Harry as they came to a stop in front of the house. Niall appeared in the doorway at that point, where she had been tending to correspondence for the business, a shotgun in her arms. “And you, ma’am,” he greeted Niall. 

“Afternoon, gentlemen,” Harry said politely, left hand on her walking stick, right with easy access to her gun, and Trouble in front of her, hackles still up. “What brings you around to these parts? I’m afraid this is private land you’re riding through.” 

“My apologies, ma’am, we did not realize. We’re simply passing through to Denver. We got a bit turned around and saw the house, figured we would see if a friendly face could point us in the right direction,” the leader said. “My name is John Smith, these are my brothers. Where are your menfolk?”

Trouble growled again, apparently not liking the man’s tone.

“Trouble, hush. They’re tending the cows,” Harry said shortly, “Though I’m not sure why you would need them when we are clearly having a conversation just now.” 

“Apologies, ma’am.” The man smiled, far too smooth for Harry’s liking. However, she was not one to be known for rude behavior. 

“You can water your horses there.” She nodded towards the trough and hitching post they had built for the traders that came through here. “My name is Harriet, that’s my sister Niall. You’ve half a day’s ride to Denver left. You may come in for lunch, if you need to wet your throats.”

“Much obliged, ma’am.” The men swung from their saddles and walked their horses towards the post she indicated, washing the dirt from their faces and hands as well. 

“Keep the gun on you,” Harry murmured to Niall as they let the men inside. “If John Smith is his given name, I’m a turkey.”

The women sat the men at the kitchen table, offering coffee and leftover stew and cornbread for lunch. Harry stayed standing, masking it as a housewife tending her guests rather than a former outlaw whose wounds prevented her from standing quickly. Trouble stuck to her side like glue, always between Harry and the men. 

“That’s a smart looking dog you have,” Smith praised. “Would make fine pups too, I imagine. Have you thought to find a bitch?”

“Maybe one day,” Harry said lightly, voice schooled to the neutral tone she used to adopt at dinner parties when her mother’s companions were a bit too cutting in their remarks. “He’s a good lad, though not quick enough to be of much help herding.” 

“Aye, he’s too tall. Could almost think he’s a wolf in the dark. Hope someone doesn’t take him for one and shoot him by mistake.”

Harry stiffened but did not react. “Perhaps it’s for the best he stays near the house then, and that we don’t often get visitors at night.”

“Suppose so,” Smith agreed. “You said your men are with the cattle? Whereabouts do you raise them?”

“Yes I did, Mr. Smith, and there is a doctor in Denver you can visit if you are finding you have trouble with your memory. We raise them in the pastures, where one often finds cattle.” 

One of Smith’s companions snorted and had to hide his laughter in a long swig of coffee when the man glared at him. 

It was then that the door opened and Harry felt a sigh of relief leave her when she heard Louis’ voice echo through the house. Trouble seemed to relax a bit too, his tail giving the barest hint of a wag. Harry hadn’t expected them back until nightfall; they must have finished with the cows early, or perhaps seen the horses ride up in the distance and come to investigate.

“Harry? Who’s here?” Louis called, appearing in the doorway. With her hair hidden from view in a short plait down her back, dust maring her face and shirt dirty from doctoring the calves, she almost passed for a man. It was clear that Smith and his cronies took her for one, especially with Liam’s large form behind her. 

“Apologies,” John stood, extending his hand. “We were passing through to Denver, your wife was kind enough to offer us some lunch. John Smith, my brothers here are Hugh, Silas, and Rudy.” 

Louis shook the man’s hand roughly, noticing how Harry still wore her pistol in the house, Trouble was on guard, and Niall had the shotgun within arms reach. “Louis Tomlinson. This is Liam Payne. You’ll want to be riding out soon if you mean to make Denver by nightfall.”

If the men recognized them from wanted posters, they gave no indication. Smith simply spoke again, just as calm as he had been all afternoon. “Indeed. Boys, I think we’ve overstayed our welcome. Thank you kindly for the food and for resting our horses, Ms. Harriet.”

Louis cleared her throat, jaw clenched at the casual way Smith spoke to Harry. “Straight east, gentlemen,” she informed. “Next time, perhaps take a fence as an indicator you are on private land.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Smith walked past Louis through the door, nodding once to Liam as he lead his brothers out of the house. He was clearly startled by Zayn’s presence on the porch, polishing the barrel of her pistol with the air of quiet danger that seemed to follow her. 

“Ma’am.” He cleared his throat awkwardly, nodding again and untying his horse, mounting and riding off on the horizon with his brothers.

The family of five watched from the porch, Trouble finally relaxing and laying down in the shade near the bottom step. 

“Nothing about that felt right.” Niall announced, shotgun still resting in her arms. “They rode in from the wrong direction.”

Louis had a protective hand on Harry’s waist and shook her head. “Cattle rustlers, or worse,” she decided. “We’ll keep watch on the cows tonight, you two keep Trouble here and stay armed. I have a bad feeling.”

[ _**dead of night - orville peck** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/4WDazmiEd5PyY3taS11VfD?si=eId2bCdAT16XWss3DU1amQ)

The rest of them echoed their agreement. 

That night, Harry stayed in the barn with Trouble, Lucky saddled and ready for her to mount if need be. She watched from the doorway, able to see from the east where the men had ridden off to. Liam, Louis, and Zayn were with the 400 odd head that they kept, keeping the herd as close knit as possible so that they could see if the men came in to try and cut part of the herd off. Niall stayed with the house, able to see the south-west from her post by the back door. It was a half moon, so it was hard to see far but enough light that the men would think twice about trying to steal the herd tonight. 

Just before midnight, Trouble sat up and let out a low growl, the white on his chest and the yellow of his eyes just about the only part of him Harry could see. She picked up the barest movement on the horizon, recognizing it as one of the men sneaking down on foot towards the barn. 

“They’re after the horses, not the cows,” Harry whispered to herself, drawing one pistol and using the block Louis had made her to mount Lucky, since she found it hard to mount from the ground now. Lucky and Trouble were both watching on high alert from the shadows of the barn, their vision much better than hers in the low light. She made a quiet bird call, waiting for Niall’s responsive owl hoot, the same signals they used to use for their own heists, and nodded to herself when she saw the barest movement of Niall arriving to the front porch rather than the back. Another man appeared on the horizon as the first drew nearer to the barn, mounted and holding a second, riderless horse. 

Harry rolled her eyes. What was their plan? Send the dumbest one in first, then if he’s not caught, they all come in and take what they will? No wonder the Wild Roses had been so notorious, they clearly had more brains than any other outlaw gang in the west. 

When the first man was within twenty yards, Harry cocked her pistol. Silas, maybe, she thought to herself, though it was still hard to see in the dark. He was definitely creeping towards the barn, and the other three seemed to be edging in now that he had made it this far without a light coming on in the house. 

Pursing her lips, Harry nudged Lucky further into the shadows and snapped her finger to Trouble, indicating the spot beside her as where he should wait. Maybe-Silas paused, waited, then proceeded towards the barn. Once he took a few steps into the barn, Harry pistol-whipped him and sent him sprawling, unconscious, into the dirt. She didn’t want to fire yet, wanted to try and draw the rest near enough to get as well. 

The group had paused, clearly uneasy now that they couldn’t see Maybe-Silas. She assumed they were waiting for a signal, but hoped they were dumb enough to proceed without. One of them whistled once, hesitantly, and Harry echoed it. She saw them look at each other, nervous, before proceeding slowly forward. Idiots. But maybe Silas really was the dumb one; maybe they were figuring he may have forgotten to signal. 

When they were past the house and nearing the barn, Harry did a quiet bird call again and rode Lucky out of the barn, both guns drawn. Niall stepped up behind them, armed as well. 

“Evening, Mr. Smith,” Harry said kindly. “Please don’t try to run. I’m afraid I would have to shoot you then, and I really don’t want to do that. Why don’t you just come on inside for another cup of coffee while we wait for Louis to get back?”

John Smith paled. “Where is Hugh?” he demanded. Huh, not Silas then. 

“In the barn.” Harry shrugged. “I really don’t take kindly to people trying to steal my horses. Louis even less so. She’s the one who trains the young ones. This is our livelihood, you see, and it’s just really quite rude to take advantage of our hospitality like you’re doing.”

She could see the cogs in Smith’s head turning as she called Louis a woman, and could see the recognition dawn in his eyes, the panic overtake his face.

“Worked it out, have you?” Harry smirked. “It’s been a while since Lovely Lou and the Wild Roses were in the papers, it doesn’t surprise me you didn’t piece it together. We’re enjoying a quiet retirement. I’m sure you’ve heard how sure a shot Louis is though. Zayn, in particular, is an incredible tracker, so I wouldn’t think that if you ran you would be safe. No, I think we should all go have another cup of coffee and talk this all through, hm? I’m just as sure a shot as Louis, but if you think about getting the slip and trying to hurt me or Niall, well. Louis and Liam are known to hold a grudge.”

Maybe-Silas-Maybe-Rudy seemed to panic and started to wheel his horse, intending to run for the hills. Harry shot him before she knew she was doing it, muscle memory taking over and catching him in the shoulder. He cried out and slid from the saddle as his horse spooked, but it didn’t go far, shying away and trotting the short distance to stand by the herd in the corrals, snorting in fear. Lucky, true to form, hardly flinched, while John and the third brother were able to keep their horses in hand. 

John swallowed thickly. “I think I’ll take that cup of coffee, ma’am,” he said shakily. Harry nodded curtly, sure that the sound of a gunshot would have drawn Louis and the rest if they heard it. 

“Go ahead and drop your guns. Nice and slow now, toss them on the ground,” she instructed, keeping her guns pointed at the men as they obeyed, the one she shot groaning on the ground. She indicated for the men to stand with their faces towards the barn wall, leaving Niall and Trouble to guard them as she slid from the saddle ungracefully, wincing as an ache shot through her hip. Nevertheless, she managed without her stick, and grabbed the now-stirring Hugh by the shoulder before tossing him towards his brothers. 

It was then that thundering hooves could be heard, and Harry smirked as she saw the silhouettes of her remaining companions on the horizon, barely lit by the moon. 

“Are you hurt?” Louis asked, breathlessly, throwing herself out of the saddle and jogging towards Harry as the horses slid to a stop by the barn. “Harriet, are you-”

“I’m fine,” Harry laughed, cutting Louis off with a kiss. “They were after the colts, not the cows. Knocked one cold and shot one, both of them are fine. Yours to do with as you please.”

Liam and Zayn had both dismounted, Liam to kiss Niall chastely and make sure she was alright, Zayn to tie up all four men. 

“Leave them tied in the barn,” Louis decided. “To that beam.” She indicated one near the dairy cows. “I’ll take them to Denver tomorrow, with the cattle to be shipped. The Marshal can hang them as horse thieves.”

Harry knew how much restraint it took for Louis not to deal with them herself, knew she was trying her hardest to be an upstanding, law abiding citizen that wouldn’t put herself at risk of being arrested again. “Thank you, Lou,” she murmured softly, kissing her lover’s jaw. “They deserve worse, I know.” 

Louis smiled tenderly, squeezing Harry’s hand. “Go rest,” she instructed. “It’s late, I know you were hurting today.”

“Ok,” Harry consented, figuring she wouldn’t put up too much of a fight. “I’ll tend Lucky first. Join me as soon as you can?” she requested, stepping into the barn to remove his tack, store it, and reward him with a sugar cube. The horse nudged her sweetly, and Harry retreated back to the house with Niall and Zayn. Louis and Liam tended the rest of the horses, making sure the so-called Smith brothers were tightly bound before leaving them for the night. 

Harry was carefully unlacing her gown and removing her skirts when the door creaked open and revealed Louis, still dusty from the day and clearly exhausted. The soft brown muslin rustled as Harry stepped out of the split legged riding skirt, the kind she often wore day to day. Pants were easier, but something in her still preferred the skirts. Louis seemed to as well, judging by the way her eyes often lingered as Harry bustled around the house. 

“Those men were a sorry sort of horse thief,” Harry said softly, still amused. “How do you think they feel about two women taking them down?”

Louis pulled off her hat and set it on the dresser, blue eyes soft as she watched Harry fold her dress away, wearing only her slip. “Very foolish, I’m sure. I wish I’d been there; I hate the idea of you getting hurt again.”

Harry rolled her eyes. “My leg is gimp, not my eyes or my fingers, Lou. I’m as good a shot as ever.” She wandered towards where Louis was still in the doorway, smiling softly as the shorter woman rested one hand on her scarred hip, thumb rubbing gently circles over the old injury, and the other coming up to cup Harry’s freckled face. 

“How is it you’re even more beautiful in the moonlight?” Louis asked with a wry grin. “It simply isn’t fair.” 

Harry laughed softly, leaning into Louis’ calloused hand before turning her head to kiss the palm. “Hush. Come on, it’s late, lets go to bed. Get out of those dirty clothes.”

Louis held on as Harry pulled away, tugging the woman back to her for a real kiss. Harry sighed happily, feeding into it, feeling the worry and frustration and love and content pour out of Louis. 

“I thought these days were behind us,” Louis confessed quietly, forehead resting against Harry’s. “I thought you were safe here. I would do anything to make you safe here.”

“I’m as safe here as I can be anywhere, Lou,” Harry whispered. “We both are. We’ve been here three years now and this is the first trouble we’ve had in ages. The world isn’t perfect, darling, but you’ve made this as close to perfect as it can be.”

Louis sighed and nodded, letting Harry undress her and bundle her into bed, whispering soft reassurances and peppering chaste kisses all the while.

The next morning, Liam and Louis guided around a hundred of the steer they intended to sell in Denver while Zayn drove a small wagon with the four Smith brothers bound and gagged in the back. They made it there in the early afternoon and split up when they got to town, Zayn and Liam taking the cattle to the yards and Louis strolling into the Sheriff’s office, leaving the men in the wagon. 

“Louis, what a pleasant surprise,” Greg greeted, and Louis shook his offered hand. She liked the man just fine when he was running the mercantile, and when he was Liam’s deputy, and he seemed to still respect their contributions to the town enough to turn a blind eye when necessary. 

“Sheriff,” she greeted, taking her hat off. “I’ve got four men tied up outside. Caught them trying to steal my colts last night. They stopped in yesterday saying they got lost on the way to Denver, so Harry fed them lunch and coffee, but things didn’t feel right so we stayed up waiting for them to come back. Thought they would go for the cattle, but they went for the horses instead.”

The sheriff scoffed and shook his head. “Surprised they aren’t in shallow graves by now. Never knew you to be particularly forgiving when it comes to your property, Louis,” he joked. 

Louis grinned wryly. “I was with the cattle,” she confessed. “Harry and Niall got to them first, or it might have been a different tale I was telling.”

The pair walked outside and the Sheriff’s jaw dropped when he saw the four men in the cart. “The marshals have been looking for this group for months.” He laughed. “Boy, are they going to be pissed when they hear.”   
  


Louis scoffed. “The marshals, after this lot? The way Harry told it, they’re as dumb as a sack of rocks.”

“Horse thieves, cattle thieves, murderers, you name it.” The sheriff shrugged. “Glad they’re not on the lam anymore.”

“Me too,” Louis agreed, shaking her head. “All yours, sheriff. And uh… if you don’t mind, don’t tell the marshals it was us who found them.” She winked. The people of Denver still liked her family, and most other law enforcement that they had wronged had assumed they fell off the map. The marshals would be hard pressed to prove that the clan out at Lonely Pine Ranch was the very same as the Wild Roses, but things would be simpler if they didn’t get any visitors. 

“Of course, of course.” Greg smiled. “Help me get them in?”

“Sure, no troubles,” Louis agreed, taking one by the arms. “Oh, by the way, that one is shot in the shoulder.” She nodded towards the pale-looking one in the corner. “Dug the bullet out this morning, he should be fine. And Harry pistol whipped that one good, that’s how come his eye is blacked.” She grinned. 

Greg just shook his head. “Looking at that woman you wouldn’t think she could hurt a fly.” He laughed. “But we all know better, after that time with the sheriff.”

“Then you learned faster than I did. She still has to remind me,” Louis joked, helping Greg herd the four men into cells. 

“Oh, I can imagine.” Greg snorted. “Anything else I can do for you, Louis?”

“Naw, Liam is selling some steer and then we’ll be heading back. Thanks, Greg.”

“You know where to find me,” Greg said cheerfully. 

“I appreciate it.” Louis smiled, heading back to the dusty street and trying to think of anything they needed at the house. She stopped by the post office and collected a few letters that had arrived, before she climbed up in the driver’s seat of the wagon and guided the mules towards the stockyard to find Liam and Zayn bartering with some men about the price of the steer. Most people were starting to cowboy their steer back east for selling and shipping, but Louis and Liam couldn’t be bothered with the travel anymore and didn’t trust anyone enough to hire them for the job, so preferred to sell to a middle-man rather than direct to a buyer. They got a little less per head, but it was simpler this way. 

“Alright, Li?” Louis called, walking up behind her family with a swaggering confidence that usually was enough to throw off a stubborn buyer. “I want to hit the road, get back by supper.”

“Just trying to reach an accord with Mr. Fairbanks here. He’s offering $5 a head, and I told him that simply wasn’t reasonable,” Liam said with a pointed glance at the older man. 

“Now, Mr. Fairbanks, you’ll get triple that, at least, back east.” Louis crossed her arms. “They’re good young steer, if you run them well, you’ll hardly have losses. $12 a head is much more reasonable.”

“That’s what I said.” Liam nodded. “I also told him we would gladly drive them home and try a new buyer in a few weeks if we didn’t get a fair price.”

Louis pursed her lips and cocked an eyebrow at Fairbanks. “Well?”

The portly man sighed and shuffled his feet. “$7,” he offered. 

“11,” Louis countered. “Please don’t waste my time, Mr. Fairbanks, we’ve a long ride home.”

Fairbanks opened his mouth as if to argue, but seemed to think the better of it as he considered the trio. “$10, or I’m leaving.”

“$10 it is.” Liam extended his hand. “There’s a hundred and twenty five of them. I reckon $1250, if that sounds right to you.” 

“Yessir it does,” Fairbanks said grudgingly, handing over the cash. 

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Louis tipped her hat. “C’mon, let’s hit the road. Harry promised pie for dessert.” 

Zayn grinned. “Bless that gal. You ridin’ or driving?” 

“Doesn’t matter to me.” Louis shrugged. 

“I’ll drive then,” Zayn said, climbing up on the wagon. “That filly gives me the stink eye whenever I go near her.” 

Louis laughed and swung into the saddle of the young horse she rode down, one of her projects. Birdy was heavy in foal, so out of commission for a while. The filly danced underneath her but quieted with a word from Louis. “She’s just young.” She shrugged. “Gotta put the miles on her sometime.”

“Better you than me.” Zayn shrugged, urging the mules into motion. “Come on then, I want pie.” 

They made good time and arrived back on the ranch at sundown, grooming the horses and finishing up chores quickly before heading inside to the smell of steak and potatoes, as well as the light, sweet scent of berry pie. 

Harry was setting plates at the long kitchen table and humming to herself, hair falling loose down her back and a soft blue gown swishing her ankles. Louis found herself falling in love all over again, as she seemed to do every time she came home to such a sight. 

“The prettiest dove there is.” Louis grinned, slipping an arm around Harry’s waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “How did I get so lucky?”

Harry laughed, blushing and leaning into Louis touch. “Missed you. Did all go well today?”

“Dropped the Smiths at the sheriff’s office and got $10 a head for the cows,” Louis confirmed, squeezing Harry’s bum before helping her finish up setting the table. “How about you?”

“Was good. Hip hardly bothered me, so Niall and I went to the river, did some laundry and swam.” She smiled. “Even got on the black colt; he was an angel. Coming along really nice, not sure I want to sell him.”

“You know how I feel about you on the green ones.” Louis frowned, leaning against the counter. 

Harry rolled her eyes. “You know how I feel about you telling me what I can’t do.” She raised an eyebrow.

“I never said you couldn’t, I just said I’d rather you not do it, or do it when I’m there,” Louis argued. 

“I can sit a buck, Lou. I’m a good rider. And like I said, my hip hardly hurt today.”

“I know you’re a good rider. I just… worry.” Louis sighed, meeting Harry’s gaze sheepishly. 

Harry softened a bit, crossing the kitchen again to smooth away the worry lines on her partner’s forehead with a kiss. “I know. I’m sorry. He really is a good colt, though.”

“Aye, he is. Been calling him Coal.” Louis allowed a small smile to return. 

“You shouldn’t be allowed to name them,” Harry groaned. “Coal? That’s worse than Sooty!”

“Hey! I didn’t name Sooty, he came with that name,” Louis argued, grinning. 

“But you didn’t change it,” Harry pointed out, though a smile of her own broke too. “Go get the rest for supper, would you?”

“Yes ma’am.” Louis laughed, stepping out of the kitchen. She crossed to the front door and stepped out onto the porch. “Supper!” she called out to where Liam and Zayn were smoking with Niall, on the porch swing enjoying the warm summer air.

They all made excited noises, casting their cigarette butts aside and following Louis back in to the kitchen. “Thanks for cooking, Harry,” they all chorused as she started dishing out steak and potatoes. 

“My pleasure.” Harry winked playfully, taking her seat beside Louis as they all dug in, humming happily. They all ate their fill and then dug into the pie, chatting happily the whole time. Harry loved having family dinners with all five of them, made her feel like they were still out on the road, relying on each other. 

“Oh, I nearly forgot,” Louis said, patting her pocket. “Some letters came for you, dove.” She passed them over, and Harry accepted with bright eyes. 

The first was from Missouri, which she tore open eagerly. She rarely received word from Nana and Bobby, though she had written them with where to contact her as soon as they settled in Denver. 

_ Dear Miss Harry,  _

_ Pastor John is writing for me. I know you tried to teach me to write, but my heart is too sad now. I just wanted to let you know that your mama passed away last night. She was sick with influenza. I know you didn’t always get on with her, but she was still your mama so I thought you would want to know. She wasn’t always nice, but the lawyer read her will today and she left me and Bobby and the others some money so we don’t have to find work. Me and Bobby are moving to New York to live with our grandchildren as soon as we can. I will try to write you then. The rest of the things went to Mr. Dayton, since you had no other kin and everyone figured you gone. I’m sure you can find him if there’s anything here you want.  _

_ Love,  _

_ Nana _

  
  


Harry set the letter down, hands shaking slightly. She never really got along with her mother, hadn’t spoken to her in years, but the loss still stung. 

“Everything ok, dove?” Louis asked, noticing how pale Harry looked. 

Harry nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed. “It’s um, from Nana. My mother passed. Influenza.”

Louis took Harry’s hand, squeezing it firmly. “I’m sorry, Harry,” she murmured. “That’s hard news to hear, I know.”

Harry nodded, smiling softly at her family as they all expressed their condolences. “She left Nana and the rest with some money, so that was one kind thing she did.” She cleared her throat. “The rest went to Oliver. I think this other letter is from him, we’ll see what he has to say.”

This one was dated several weeks later, from Oliver’s home in New York. 

_ “My darling wife,”  _ Harry read aloud, laughing at how disgruntled it made Louis. She and Oliver frequently joked about how irritated it made Louis that Harry was married to someone else, so they often played it up just to annoy her. Harry often had to remind Louis that she and Oliver had never consummated the marriage, and so in that respect she was far more married to Louis than anyone else. 

  
  


_ By now I am sure word from Missouri has reached you of your mother’s passing. When I learned I was to inherit the majority of her belongings, I had to laugh. I originally intended to send you the cash inheritance, as I certainly have no need, but by the newspaper clippings I have saved and your own account, you do not need it any more than I do, so I have elected to turn your mother’s Missouri estate into an orphanage. I knew it would make you laugh, and I too was thinking of our engagement when the idea came to me. Much of the furniture will stay, and I will be sure to hire the best governesses I can. By all means, if you wish me to do something else with the money and the house, send word. Nothing will go into effect until January at the earliest, what with the war slowing everything down.  _

_ I also wanted to send word that Nana and Bobby are safe in New York. I sent for them by train as soon as I heard, and saw them to their grandchildren’s home. They send their love.  _

_ I have also inherited what remains of your father’s herd, three older mares and 2 geldings. Two of the mares are in foal for next year to that Morgan stallion that sired Lucky, according to Bobby. As soon as the war is over, Abe and I intend to visit you in Denver. We will bring the herd with us, they are more yours than they could ever be mine.  _

_ Abe and I remained safe from the draft. Rumors are the Union is going to win, as I hope we do, but the losses on both sides are catastrophic. It saddens my heart to know that the orphanage will fill all the faster, with the death tolls on the battlefields. As soon as the fighting ends, I will make the journey out to see you.  _

_ I hope you, and Louis, and the rest of your family are well.  _

_ With all my love, _

_ Your doting husband Oliver _

  
  


Harry finished and folded the letter up with a smile, humming to herself. “The war isn’t over yet,” she informed them. “But Oliver reckons the Union will win. It sounds like it could be winding down. He’s starting an orphanage with what he inherited from my mother, and he and his partner will visit as soon as it’s safe. They’re bringing a few horses with them, the last of my father’s herd. Five horses, but two are in foal.” 

Louis nodded approvingly. “The Union had damn well better win,” she said bitterly. “And tell him we look forward to his visit. And the horses.” She grinned

“I will.” Harry smiled. “Bobby said the foals are by the same stallion as Lucky, so they’re likely to be fine colts.” 

Louis’ eyes lit up at that. “Sounds wonderful,” she said, excited at the prospect of adding that kind of bloodline to their herd. She had wished on more than one occasion that Lucky was a stallion rather than a gelding. 

Harry laughed. “You’re ridiculous,” she said fondly, shaking her head. “Can’t think about anything but horses for more than a few minutes.”

“Yes, well.” Louis shrugged. “Liam and Zayn have the cattle operation down pat. I’ve been thinking about hiring some boys to help them out so that I have more time to train the colts.”

Harry nodded. “Sure,” she agreed. “We were already talking about adding onto the barn for more horses; we can add quarters for them if you want.”

“Something we can discuss for spring,” Louis agreed, the others echoing their agreement. 

The days passed much the same for a while, tending the cows, the garden, the horses, and the house. They had few visitors and fewer trips of their own, enjoying the peace and quiet of their ranch. It was around supper, one evening, when they were reminiscing a bit of their wilder days, sharing their favorite stories and each thinking, individually, that they missed that life just a little bit. 

They chatted around the table for a while longer before they stood to clean up the kitchen, storing away their leftovers with sleepy smiles, warm air circulating through the house from the open windows. They were getting ready to ascend the stairs for bed when, as if the universe had heard their boredom, Trouble started growling, standing by the front door with his hackles raised. 

Louis paused at the top of the stairs, beckoning Liam and Zayn back from their rooms, Niall close behind as Harry drew her pistol and crept towards the front door. 

“Harriet,” Louis started to say warningly, always worried about Harry’s reflexes, but the taller woman flapped her hand dismissively, yanking the door open and leveling her pistol at the figure that was creeping in her front yard. 

“Show yourself,” she demanded, keeping hold of Trouble’s collar as the dog growled and tried to lunge. 

The figure jolted and seemed to turn and run, before pausing. “Rosie?” he asked, cocking his head and taking his hat off, hands raised cautiously. 

“Butch?” Harry echoed, laughing incredulously. “What in gods name? Trouble, down. Come on, it’s alright.”

“Jesus, Rosie, you just about fell off the face of the map. Thought you mighta died.” The man walked forward slowly, offering his hand for Trouble to sniff. The dog wagged his tail cautiously, clearly still not sold on the shadowy figure. 

“Harry, what’s going on?” Louis asked, appearing in the doorway, gun also drawn. 

“Lou, this is Butch.” Harry grinned, waving the man inside. “I ran with him a while, when we were separated. Where are the rest?”

“Ah… in the barn?” Butch said sheepishly. “Promise we weren’t stealing, just lookin’ for a place to rest tonight. Don’t know many folks out here, needed to get the law off our tail.” 

“Bring them in, we’ve supper left if you need,” Harry offered. “And coffee, too. Come on then. Is the law close behind?”

“Naw, don’t think so.” Butch shrugged. “Been on the lam a while.” He whistled sharply. “Boys, come on! It’s Rosie!” he called, kicking the dust off his boots before stepping inside, ever a polite outlaw. 

“Who is Rosie?” Zayn demanded, the whole family hovering in the living room as Harry led a group of four more rough looking men into the house. 

“That’s Rosie.” Butch pointed at Harry. “You are, ain’t you?”

“I went by Rosie.” Harry shrugged. “I couldn’t very well have my real name circulating, could I? My name’s Harriet. Harry.”

Louis snorted. “That moniker just follows you, huh? Rosie, the Wild Rose, and then a member of the Wild Roses.” 

“To be fair, I told them Rosie because the papers were calling me the Wild Rose, and then we all became the Wild Roses when I started running with you again.” Harry pointed out. “It’s all the same name.” She leaned heavily on her walking stick as she set about warming supper up for the group. “Butch, this is Louis, Liam, Niall and Zayn. They’re my family. Lou, this is Butch, Sunny, Ben, Robbie, and Kid.” 

“Wait, you… You’re the Wild Roses?” Butch laughed. “Damn, of course you are. Always had more brains than us, Rosie did. Hey, what happened to your leg, anyway?” 

“Pissed off the wrong guy.” Harry shrugged. “‘S fine, just gives me trouble some days.”

“Most days,” Louis muttered under her breath, but didn’t repeat it when Harry asked her to, shrugging it off innocently. 

“Damn, it’s good to see you, Rosie. Harry, sorry.” Sunny shook his head. “Never thought we’d run into you out here.”

“Been settled here almost four years.” Harry shrugged. “We gave up robbing ‘bout five years ago.”

“Well it’s a mighty nice place you’ve got,” Butch said, thanking her for the grub she was passing around. The two families started chatting, staying up well into the evening sharing stories. Butch and Louis got on like a house on fire, which was slightly nervewracking for Harry, who knew that Louis could often be talked into bad ideas when she was bored. 

“Well, you boys are welcome to stop by here any time,” Harry offered. “We’ve got space in the barn; you can rest your horses or switch out for fresh if you need. The marshals don’t come out here, hardly anyone does.”

“That’s kind of you,” Butch thanked her. “We’ll be outta your hair in no time, heading back to Wyoming soon enough.”

The gang set off in the morning with fresh horses and supplies, and with that, rumors quickly started spreading among the lower members of society. The Lonely Pine Ranch became a place that trusted gangs could stop for a night or two, buy fresh wares or horses, and get a hot meal here and there. Their identities never were quite right- some heard that Rosie was Sunny’s girlfriend, some heard Zayn was a secret wife, or cousin, or sister, some heard rumors that Liam used to be Butch, but retired and was replaced by the current one. But no matter what the outlaws heard, they brought conversation, gossip, and laughter to the ranch, keeping the Rose’s toes just enough in the water to feel satisfied. 

Another winter came and went, and they received word that spring that the war finally wound down to an end in favor of the Union. Oliver’s letter arrived that he and Abe would be leaving on the 31st of May, which was the very day Harry received the letter. She panicked, trying to figure when they would be arriving. The railroads extended all the way to Denver now, so their travel time would be a fraction of what it used to be. 

“Probably about two weeks, give or take.” Alex shrugged as she visited him in the mercantile, having made the trip to Denver with Louis today. “That’s roughly how long my supplies take to arrive, and the mail. Haven’t had many visitors by train from that far east in a while, so not certain, but you’ve got time to prepare.” He shrugged. 

Harry sighed in relief and took a caramel from the jar, chewing thoughtfully and rolling her eyes when Alex held his hand out for payment. She passed it over, collecting her bundles of cloth, candy, and soaps that she had already purchased.

“Dove?” Louis called into the shop. “Are you ready? The cows are sold, I’ve finished my errands. Howdy, Alex.” Trouble, who had been snoozing at Harry’s feet, leapt awake and went to greet Louis.

“Yes!” Harry replied, blowing a kiss to Alex, and hauling her load outside, letting Louis take it when she reached her partner so that Harry could more easily walk the rest of the distance to the cart. 

“Any news from Alex?” Louis asked, making sure the supplies were secure before climbing up into the drivers seat with Harry. Trouble leapt into the bed of the cart with ease, promptly falling back asleep.

“Alice is pregnant with their second, but that’s about it. Oh, and Oliver should be here in about two weeks,” Harry announced with a grin, holding up the letter. 

“Two weeks?” Louis repeated. “Those trains are fast, hey?”

Harry nodded. “I know, I was shocked too.” She smiled. “It will be nice to see him again.”

Louis nodded. “I look forward to meeting this strange man that wooed my gal.” She winked

“He did not woo me.” Harry laughed, shaking her head. “We’re friends, is all.”

“Friends who got married,” Louis agreed teasingly. She liked making Harry think she was riled up about the situation. 

“Friends who got married.” Harry grinned, leaning over to kiss Louis’ cheek. 

They made it back to the house by nightfall, Liam and Zayn making it faster on the horses they had used to drive the cattle to Denver than Louis and Harry in the cart. 

Trouble jumped out of the bed as they got back to the ranch, going to chase the chickens and send them scattering. It was a habit Harry had been unable to break him from; he never actually attacked any of them, just seemed to like to make them flap. He had driven foxes off from the coop on more than one occasion, seeming to think he was the only one allowed to harass them. 

Harry tried to stand and step out of the cart, sighing as she found her hip locked and twinging as sometimes happened when she was sitting too long. “Help me down?” She frowned at Louis, only pouting a little.

“Always.” Louis smiled reassuringly, lifting Harry out of the cart with hardly any trouble, supporting her as Harry gradually got the muscles to release and was able to walk to the house. 

Louis put the cart and horse away in the barn, settling the animals down and putting the chickens back in the coop with Trouble’s help before carrying Harry’s bundle of supplies into the house. She was delighted to find Liam had already started supper so that Harry could rest, and dropped a kiss to Harry’s forehead as she passed by, looking for anything she could do to help. 

Harry seemed lost in thought, staring into the flames burning low in the hearth as she massaged the tight muscles over her thigh and hip. “How long have we been together now?” she asked the room quietly. “Feels like forever.” 

“Just hit five years here,” Zayn mused, whittling at a stick across from Harry, wearing a dress for once. She was like Louis, almost always in men’s clothes. “We were in Denver about a year before that. Spent a little over two years on the road. And you and Lou left Missouri the year before that, if I remember right. What’s that, eight years? Nine?”

“Sounds right.” Harry smiled softly, thinking back over their adventures. “Almost ten years. A decade of wars and love and loss and growth. West and East and West again.” She sighed, leaning her head back. “I don’t regret a thing.”

“Me neither,” the others echoed. 

“Remember the first time we met?” Harry giggled, kicking Zayn lightly. “We were just about ready to shoot you, you snuck up on us so quiet.” 

Zayn grinned. “Yeah,” she laughed. “I can’t imagine my life without y’all now. I was dying, out there.”

Harry blew her a kiss sweetly, grinning. “And you’ve saved our hides more than once, now,” she said. “We wouldn’t be here without you.”

“I still have visions of that morning you and Niall broke me out.” Louis laughed. “God, you looked beautiful, all dressed up. I figured if I was gonna be hanged, at least I woulda seen an angel before I went.” 

“You say that about her just about every day,” Niall pointed out with an eye roll. “She could be covered in mud and wearing rags and you would still worship the ground she walks on.”

“Not my fault I’ve got the prettiest gal in the world.” Louis shrugged, smiling and winking at Harry as she turned bright red with a blush. 

“Remember our first real bank robbery?” Niall laughed. “God, we were all shitting ourselves, and then the teller pulled that gun-” 

“And just wet himself and passed out, right there, before he could fire!” Harry finished, covering her mouth and giggling. “I thought he died, I was so panicked.” They all sat down around the fire, nibbling at the supper Liam had made, drinking and exchanging stories. 

“Remember the fire?” Liam asked somberly. “I think that was the day I realized how much I needed you.” He looked at Niall. “When you tried to run back in, my heart just about stopped.”

Niall ducked her head and blushed, chewing her lip. “I thought I was losing everything I had,” she remembered. “And you were there, like a promise that you would help pick up the pieces. And you did.” She smiled, shaking her head and wiping away the single tear that threatened to spill.

There was no talk, for a while, as they all turned to their thoughts and the things they had loved and lost. The silence was broken, however, by Harry suddenly smacking her glass down and jumping up, making them all flinch. 

“You two aren’t married!” she exploded. “You’ve never gotten married! Why have you never gotten married?”

They all fish-mouthed at her, startled by the outburst, before the words sank in. They had been engaged for years yes, and had lied that they were married for ages before that to sell their California story, but it was true. Liam and Niall had never actually married. 

“I… don’t know,” Liam confessed. “I guess we just kind of forgot? We’ve been so busy with the ranch.”

Niall nodded. “And it’s not like it would change anything,” she pointed out. “We basically are married.”

“We need to have a wedding,” Harry said firmly. “A big party, we can invite everyone. It will be… it will be an anniversary, for the ranch, and a wedding for you. A celebration for our family.”

Liam and Niall made eye contact, a smile spreading over Niall’s lips. “I do love a good party,” she joked. “May as well make it official.”

Liam laughed. “Hell, why not,” he agreed. “When?”

“Oliver will be here in two weeks or so,” Harry mused. “It would take a few weeks for a dress to be made. Late June, maybe? We can ride in to town and order the dress soon, invite the people we want based on how long that would take?”

“Whatever you like, Dove,” Louis agreed with a smile. “Sounds like we’re throwing a party.” 

Harry beamed, thrilled at the prospect of hosting, especially for something so exciting as a wedding. 

“We need to go to town again tomorrow. You and I can ride in, get you fitted for a dress and figure out what you’d like,” Harry said to Niall excitedly, grinning. “Zayn, do you want to come?”

Zayn smiled, happy to see Harry so excited. Her moods were always contagious. “Sure, Harry. We can head out in the morning,” She agreed. “I can help Ms. Anne out with the dress.” 

Harry beamed. “This will be lovely. We can have it in the front, where there’s that pretty open space.”

Louis glanced at Liam, grinning and shaking her head. “What have we gotten ourselves into?” she asked softly, chuckling to herself. 

Harry, Niall, and Zayn set out at first light, mounted on Lucky, Cloud, and Golden respectively. It felt like old times, racing the wind with the breeze pulling at their loose hair. Harry hardly noticed the ache in her side, and they made it to Denver before noon. They left the horses in the livery that was still owned by the family, though they had hired a pair of young brothers that Louis had taken a liking to for the day to day management of it. 

They walked down the street to the dress shop, greeting Ms. Anne with a kiss each and thanking her as she settled them with tea, always fussing over “those pretty wild girls.” Zayn especially was her favorite, though she would never say such a thing.

“Now, what can I do for you girls?” Ms. Anne asked, her kind brown eyes lined with laughter. 

“Well, we’re having a wedding.” Harry grinned. “For Niall here. She and Liam never had a proper ceremony.”

Anne gasped and clapped excitedly. “Oh, yes!” she said cheerfully. “I have some beautiful lace, darling, that will look lovely on you. Oh, I love weddings. Come, up, up, let’s measure you. Let’s see, what kind of dress would you like? Traditional?”

Niall stood obediently, letting the older woman measure her while Zayn obediently wrote the numbers for reference. “I think I would like traditional,” she confirmed. “My last one was very plain though, I think I would like some lace, or beading,” she said shyly. As much as she loved Liam, a tiny part of her felt guilty, like she was betraying Lucas, despite having been apart from him longer than she had been with him. He was her first love, but she knew he would approve of Liam. 

“First one?” Anne asked curiously, sorting through various fabrics as she tutted to herself. 

Niall noddeed. “I was married, before. To Louis’ twin brother, actually. He was Liam’s best friend, it’s how we all knew each other. He was killed, almost twelve years ago.”

Anne frowned. “I’m sorry, darling. It sounds as though you’ve made a good match in Liam, though. Not all of us get second chances.” She twisted her old wedding ring sadly. “Now, tell me what you think of these.” She offered Niall bolts of white satin, muslin, and silk. “We can overlay lace with any of them, and make the veil of lace as well.”

All three girls were immediately drawn to the silk. Where was the fun in being rich if you never spent the money? 

“Alright.” Ms. Anne grinned. “We can do that. When is this wedding, then?”

“Well, I suppose that depends on when the dress is ready.” Harry chuckled sheepishly. “We were thinking in three weeks or so, if that’s feasible for you?”

“Oh, that’s plenty of time,” Anne confirmed. “Especially if Ms. Zayn cuts this fabric for me now,” she said playfully. 

“I’d be happy to,” Zayn laughed. “Just tell me how you’d like it.” 

It was three weeks later when Oliver finally arrived, delayed by some weather back east. Louis and Harry had been in town for four days, staying in the bar as they awaited his arrival. 

The train rolled into town around noon, Harry dancing anxiously in place. It had been years since she last saw Oliver, but she still considered him a close friend. 

A small crowd of people exited the train after it rolled to a stop at the station, and Harry bounded forward when she saw him. He was just as she remembered, though graying at the temples and with more laugh lines. 

“Mrs. Dayton!” he greeted with a laugh, hugging her and kissing her cheek. 

“Mr. Dayton,” she joked, returning the affection and giggling happily. “Oh, it’s so good to see you, Oliver.” 

“You as well, Harriet. You as well,” he said sincerely. “I’m sorry Abe couldn’t come. It would have raised suspicions.”

“Oh it’s no trouble, I understand,” Harry assured, a wide smile still glued to her face. She felt Louis come up behind her, a familiar warmth that she didn’t need to see to know who brought it. “Oliver, this is my Louis.”

“Delighted to finally meet you.” Oliver smiled, offering his hand. 

“My pleasure,” Louis accepted. “Thank you again, for taking care of Harry when I couldn’t.”

“She was doing fine on her own.” Oliver chuckled. “Oh, here. We should get the horses, they’re in one of the freight cars. I’m sure they’re dying to be out of that box.”

Louis helped gather Oliver’s cases while the man lead the way to unload the cargo.

“I know they’re a bit old for it, but I haven’t quite weaned the colts,” Oliver said sheepishly. “I figured it would just be easier when we got them out here.” 

An attendant opened the door and revealed the small bunch. Harry’s smile widened as she saw the colts, spitting images of Lucky when he was that age, aside from the color. One was a bright sorrel with flashy white stockings, stuck to the side of a mare that Harry recognized as Sugar. The other was a bay like Lucky, but lighter brown, with a thick white blaze where Lucky had a small star. That one was with Rain. The other horses Harry knew as Yankee, Big Star, and Gunner. All were older now, but looked to be in good health. They might not be able to work hard any longer, but they could live out their last days in peace on the ranch, just as her father would have wanted. 

“The sorrel is a stud colt,” Oliver told her. “We’ve been calling him Hellfire, he’s such a pistol. The bay is a filly, sweet as can be. Haven’t really called her anything but Filly.”

“Clover.” Harry grinned, stroking the filly’s white blaze. “Like a lucky four leaf clover. She reminds me of Lucky, just as sweet as could be.” 

Louis helped Oliver and Harry guide the horses off the train car, leading them through town to where their own cart was parked. They tied the horses to the back, letting the colts stay loose and trusting they would stick close to their mothers. 

“I’ve got to go get the dress from Ms. Anne, but then I think we’re ready to head home,” Harry told her companions, helping them load the cases in the back of the cart. “I’ll be right back.” She smiled, leaving the man with Louis as she crossed the street to the shop. Everything else they needed for the wedding and reception was loaded high in the cart. Invitations had been given to almost all of the original families that they had known in Denver, almost a hundred people, though it was a fraction of the city now. 

“Ms. Anne,” Harry called into the shop, peeking around the corner to find the woman carefully folding Niall’s gown into a box. “Oh, it’s beautiful,” she gushed, stepping closer to admire the beading and lace. “She’ll love it.”

Anne smiled. “Oh, I hope so. I have something for you too, dear, and Miss Zayn. I made her give me your measurements. It wouldn’t be a proper ceremony if you didn’t have matching bridesmaids gowns.” She winked, leading Harry to where two beautiful gold and pink dresses, in a similar style to Nialls, were folded in their boxes. 

“Oh, Ms. Anne,” Harry gasped. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” She hugged the woman tightly. “You’re sure you don’t want to ride with Louis and I tonight? We’ve room.”

“No, no. I’ll ride with those Fisher boys in the morning,” the old woman said cheerfully. “I’ll see you tomorrow darling.”

“Alright then.” Harry smiled, gathering the three boxes. They were heavier than they looked, but she hardly struggled as she headed back across the street. “See you tomorrow!” she replied, carefully putting the boxes in the back of the cart. Louis hopped down to help Harry climb up in the seat, though Harry fussed and tried to insist she was fine. Her leg was doing better the last few weeks, she hardly had any bad days, but Louis’ assistance was still helpful, as embarrassing as it was. 

“All well?” Oliver frowned. “I thought it looked like you were limping when you walked…”

Louis glanced sharply at Harry. “You never told him?” she asked, clucking to the mules until they stepped up, guiding them towards home. 

“Told me what?” Oliver asked, looking between Harry and Louis.

Harry sighed. “It’s nothing,” she insisted. “An old injury. I’m fine. I still ride, I still drive, I get around just fine.”

Louis snorted. “Old injury.” She nodded. “The injury was from a bullet.”

Oliver hissed and winced. “Jesus Christ, Harriet.” He sighed. “I wish you would tell me things like that.”

Harry rolled her eyes. “It’s been what, five years now?” She shrugged. “Everyone makes it out to be a much bigger deal than it is.” She looked pointedly at Louis, who just raised an eyebrow. 

“Come on now, I don’t want to talk about this. Tell me about New York,” Harry insisted, grinning brightly. 

They chatted the whole way home, the hot summer sun being dampened slightly by a breeze. It was growing dark by the time they reached the ranch, but the setting sun illuminated the big house and barn beautifully, their lonely pine looming just behind. On the horizon, the mountains rose in stark contrast to the sky. Oliver let out a low whistle, shaking his head. 

“You said it was beautiful, but I never would’ve pictured this,” he confessed. “This is incredible.”

“Isn’t it?” Harry grinned, sighing happily. “It’s home.” 

“That it is,” Louis agreed, guiding the mules towards the barn. Harry hopped out of the cart, taking a few stiff steps but making do just fine. She headed back to where their new string of ponies were still tied and untied them, smiling and leading Sugar and Rain inside, their foals following close behind. They were tired, clearly, not used to walking for so long, and as soon as Harry bedded them down in stalls, the babies curled up in the straw and dozed off. Harry made sure the mares had plenty of hay and water while Louis did the same for the mules and the geldings that Oliver had brought. 

“Come on, I’ll show you the house.” Harry grinned, waving Oliver forward as she grabbed the dress boxes from the wagon. Trouble came bounding up, yipping and barking, with his tail wagging enthusiastically. 

“Hi, buddy.” She laughed. “I missed you too. No, don’t jump,” she scolded, letting him in the house and setting the boxes down on a table as they made their way in the front door. 

“We’re home!” Harry called through the house, looking around for the rest of their group. “Sorry we were delayed!”

Zayn and Liam appeared at the top of the stairs, both looking frazzled. “Oh good, you’re here,” Liam breathed. “Nothing’s done, the wedding is tomorrow, we’re all-”

“Liam,” Harry said firmly. “Take a deep breath, come downstairs. It’s all going to be fine, come meet Oliver. Where is Niall?”

“She said she was going for a walk,” Zayn supplied. “Was a bit stressed.” She took Liam by the elbow and guided him downstairs, shaking Oliver’s hand and smiling up at him. “Hi, I’m Zayn. Glad to meet you. This mess is Liam. Normally he’s very well put together, but he’s getting married tomorrow and it seems to have caused him to lose his marbles.” 

“Lou, would you go find Niall and make sure she isn’t riding for Timbuktu?” Harry asked drily, guiding Liam to the kitchen table. 

“Already on it, darling,” Louis replied, heading back out the front door. 

Harry grabbed a bottle of good whiskey and poured some out for each of them, serving up some of the stew that was still simmering near the fire. 

“Liam, this wedding is going to go perfectly. We have everything we need from Denver, we’ll get it all set up in the morning. Now, you’re going to have a drink, eat something, and we’re going to enjoy the evening,” she said firmly. 

“Ok,” Liam agreed weakly, sipping his whiskey. 

Zayn just giggled and shook her head. “How is it that he’s been spiraling for 2 days and you shut him up with one sentence?” she asked, shaking her head and spearing a potato.

“She’s bossy, isn’t she?” Oliver joked, earning him a smack on the back of the head. 

“I’m not bossy.” Harry frowned, sipping at her own glass. 

“Sure you’re not, dove,” Louis agreed, walking back into the house with Niall in tow. 

“Only a little.” Niall shrugged, taking Harry’s glass from her and downing it in one go, kissing the woman on the cheek in greeting. 

“You’re rude.” Harry grumped, though her tone was lighthearted. “Niall, this is Oliver,” she introduced. 

“It’s good to finally meet you, Harry has told us so much about you.” Niall smiled, shaking their hands. “Sorry for the hectic… everything, right now.” 

“Oh, no trouble at all.” Oliver smiled. “I know a wedding can be stressful. Happy to help in any way you need.”

“We appreciate that.” Niall smiled. “I’ll let the bossy one direct what needs to happen; it’s all over my head.”

“I’m not bossy!” Harry insisted, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Louis laughed and wrapped her in a hug, kissing her sweetly. 

“You’re a little bossy. But it’s alright, I love you for it,” Louis whispered, only a little teasing. 

Harry pouted but sank into Louis’ touch, smiling softly. “Well, in any case, there’s nothing to be done tonight. We’ll roast the meat in the morning, and I’ll make the cake. Most of the families are bringing a dish, I think. We’ll just decorate with some flowers and the white ribbons we bought. Ceremony and reception will be out in the front lawn, it will be simple, everything will be lovely. For now, let’s just eat, and drink, and turn in early.” She smiled, tugging Louis back to sit at the table. 

“I’ll drink to that.” Oliver raised his glass, scratching Trouble’s ear and grinning. The group chatted until well into the night, Oliver melting right into their family. They finally elected to turn in and try to sleep before the busy day tomorrow, knowing an early morning was ahead of them. 

Louis woke to an empty bed the next morning and the smell of chocolate wafting through the house. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, dressing in the same clothes as the day before and trudging down the stairs, knowing she would likely just get dirty before the ceremony.

“Morning, dove,” Louis greeted. “You’re up early.” She slipped her arm around Harry’s waist and pulled her in for a kiss. “Coffee?”

“Just wanted this done.” Harry shrugged, returning the kiss with a soft smile. “There’s a pot going already.” 

“Thanks, darling.” Louis hummed, bending to give Trouble a pat and pouring herself a cup. “What all needs done this morning?”

“Just the decorations, I think, and the food,” Harry said, bending to check how her cakes were rising. “I was going to go collect some of the wildflowers, out back, and tie them with the ribbon for a bouquet, and-”

Louis cut her off with another kiss. “One thing at a time, darling,” she soothed. “Everything will come together beautifully.” 

Harry nodded. “You’re right.” She smiled, taking a deep breath. “It will all work out.”

Alex and Greg Fisher showed up early, with their families and Ms.Anne in tow. They, along with Oliver and Louis, handled most of the decorations and set up of the area, as well as managed the spit they had dinner roasting on. Ms. Anne and Zayn went up to help Niall get ready, and Harry was running around tying up all the loose ends, directing traffic and seeing to anything that needed seeing to. Guests started arriving in ernest around 12, and Oliver escaped to go dress in a nice, clean suit, returning to play host while Louis and Harry slipped off to do the same. 

“Niall wants you to give her away.” Harry told Louis quietly, helping her dress in nice black pants, a crisp, starched white shirt, and her rose embroidered vest. 

Louis’ voice caught in her throat. “I would be honored.” She whispered, smiling softly. “I would be happy to.”

“I told her you would say that.” Harry grinned, kissing Louis sweetly. “Go check on everything downstairs, please? Ms. Anne has my dress in Niall’s room, Zayn and I will get ready and be down in a wink.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Louis smiled, and Harry hurried down the hall to Niall’s room, slipping inside. 

“Oh, Niall.” Harry gasped. “You look beautiful.” The dress fit perfectly, extending gracefully out in the skirts, with lace adorning the dress and the veil. 

“Thank you,” Niall said bashfully, jittery with nerves. “Did you ask-”

“She said yes, of course she did.” Harry assured, slipping out of her current house dress and letting Ms. Anne and Zayn help her into the much finer gown for the ceremony, smiling to herself as the fabric rustled around her. “Everything is so lovely.” 

Louis poked her head in. “We’re all ready if you gals are.” She said, winking. “Liam’s shitting himself.”

“Language.” Anne scolded, doing the bow on Harry’s waist and nodding to herself. “But yes, we’re done.”

“Sorry, Ms. Anne. Alright then, I’ll go get Liam in place, the boys will be up for you all.” Louis smiled, heading back down the stairs. 

“Good luck,” Ms. Anne whispered playfully, following Louis down to go find a seat with the guests.

Harry turned to Niall, who was pacing the room slowly, taking deep breaths. “How are you, Ni?” She asked, reaching out for her sister’s hand and squeezing it.

“I’m ok.” Niall said, nodding and smiling reassuringly. “I’m ready. Excited.” 

“Good.” Harry grinned, hugging her tightly. “Me too.” There was a light knock on the door then, and Oliver opened it cautiously, Greg close behind him. They would be walking Harry and Zayn down the aisle. 

“Ready, ladies?” Oliver smiled, offering his arm to Harry. Louis arrived then, there to escort Niall. 

“Ready.” Niall nodded shakily, holding Louis’ arm tightly. The afternoon sun was hanging bright over the mountains, but it wasn’t terribly hot, rather a nice, light summer warmth. Harry clutched a smaller bundle of flowers than the one she had given Niall, letting Oliver guide her down the stairs and out the house, into the green grass that was their makeshift aisle. Trouble was lounging in the shade of the barn, and the horses watched on in curiosity at the small crowd of around 60 people stood to watch the wedding party proceed to the tune of the small band playing in the shade of some aspen trees. Liam was standing with the preacher at the front, wringing his hands nervously, but he seemed to settle when he saw his family come in to view. 

Zayn and Greg followed a few steps behind Harry and Oliver, the men parting to Liam’s side while Harry and Zayn went to the opposite side, turning to watch Louis escort Niall down the aisle. 

Niall looked radiant, the thin lace obscuring her features slightly as she held the bouquet in one arm and Louis with the other. They reached the rest of the group, and the preacher spoke. 

“Who gives this woman to be wed?” 

“Her sister.” Louis spoke clearly, not caring that this was non traditional. She kissed Niall’s hand and smiled, going to stand beside Harry as Liam took Niall’s arm. 

The ceremony was short and sweet and everything that Niall and Liam deserved. The sun started sinking low as they sealed the contract with a kiss, cheers going up through the guests. 

The reception kicked off immediately after, the band picking up a more lively tune as chairs were cleared away, the meat and cake were sliced, and whiskey started flowing. Everyone was eating, and drinking, and dancing, a few small fires illuminating the whole front lawn as the sun continued to sink.

Harry was chatting with a few of the other ladies, sipping her drink and laughing politely, when Louis finally found her, both of them having been caught up in hosting and talking and making sure things went smoothly. With the party well under way, there was little else for them to do.

“May I have this dance?” Louis asked playfully, apologizing to the ladies as she drew Harry out towards the grass, a slower song filling the summer air around them and mixing with chirping crickets and stamping horses. 

“You may.” Harry smiled, resting her hand on Louis shoulder as they began to sway with the other couples. 

“Did I ever tell you how beautiful you looked in this dress?” Louis asked softly, smiling and letting her thumb rub over the soft fabric where it was resting on Harry’s waist. 

“No, you didn’t, but I could tell you thought so.” Harry teased, resting her forehead against Louis’. “You’re pretty easy to read, after all these years.” 

Louis laughed quietly, before going quiet. “I wish I could give you this.” She confessed quietly. “A wedding. Marry you, call you my wife, make you mine in the only way I have yet to do.”

Harry softened, smiling and chancing a short kiss, sure that no one was paying enough attention to them to care. “I am your wife, as far as I am concerned.” She whispered. “And you are mine. I love you to the ends of the earth, Louis Tomlinson, and nothing in this life would change that. A preacher saying a few words and changing my name wouldn’t ever make it any different.”

Louis shrugged. “Still. I want everything with you. Forever.”

“You’ll have it.” Harry promised, green eyes shining in the firelight. “You have all of me.” Looking around, she bit back a smile. “Come on,” she whispered. “I want to ride.” 

“Harry, we can’t just leave.” Louis protested, but found herself being drug along to the barn anyway, no one noticing at all. “You’ll ruin your dress.” 

“No I won’t.” Harry promised. “We won’t be gone long. I just want to watch the sunset. We can sneak out the back, no one will notice we’re missing.”

“Fine.” Louis sighed, ignoring Harry’s triumphant grin, the spoiled brat. They haltered Lucky and a gray mare Louis had taken a liking to called Lily, Birdy still too pregnant to ride. They hopped on bareback, Harry riding a little awkwardly side saddle due to her skirts, and slipped out the back door of the barn. The sky was starting to go golden around them, the mountains a dusky blue and a light breeze tugging at their clothes.

They rode in silence for a few minutes before stopping on top of a hill around the back of the house, facing west. Harry sighed happily and let the summer air surround her, the quiet peace of their ranch settling over her like a blanket. 

“Do you know, the first time I realized I loved you was on a night kind of like this.” Louis said suddenly, looking at the way the golden skies illuminated Harry’s silhouette. 

_ “Circle up!” Louis called back down the train, the sun rapidly disappearing on the horizon. “Whoa,” she stopped the oxen, nodding once to herself as her team stopped obediently, the rest of the wagons behind her following suit.  _

_ Harry was on Lucky, as she usually was in the afternoons, riding down the line of wagons to make sure everyone got the message, pointing out where the stragglers should go to form the loose corral the animals would be kept in. She wore one of Louis’ wide brimmed hats, and a robin’s egg riding dress, and the sunset brought out the gold tones in her eyes. She stopped, for just a moment, and craned her head upward, looking at the faint twinkling of the first stars appearing, before smiling to herself and turning back to the task at hand. She eventually turned back towards the front of the train, still smiling serenely and letting the hat drop down her back, the string tied loosely around her neck.  _

_ “Need anything, Lou?” She asked brightly, swinging out of the saddle and untacking Lucky with practiced hands, storing the tack in the wagon and brushing him down quickly.  _

_ “Just need to unhitch the team,” Louis answered, a bit delayed. For all the golden light and shining stars, Harry somehow shone brighter than them all. _

Harry blushed, ducking her head before craning her head back in much the same fashion, watching the skies fade to midnight blue and the Milky Way begin to make its appearance. “You’re ridiculous,” she said shyly, though she remembered the night, vaguely. They had kept marching longer than usual, and Louis’ eyes seemed to follow her that night. Something shifted between them, for the better. 

“Ridiculously in love with you,” Louis agreed, though even she had to burst into laughter at that.

Harry giggled, shaking her head, before falling quiet. “I um. I always knew I loved you, I think. But when I was sick, and I woke up, and you weren’t there, I just. There was a piece of me missing, like a giant hole in my chest, and everything was solidified for me.” She confessed. “I knew that nothing would be the same until I got back to you, that you were the missing piece.”

  
  


_ “Just hang on, darling. We’ll get you a doctor,” Louis whispered, not allowing herself to feel the panic that was setting in. She gave Lucky his head; she didn’t want to wear him out, especially with two riders, but the horse seemed to sense the urgency and picked up an easy lope.  _

_ Harry wanted so desperately to sink into the darkness, she was so tired, it was so warm and quiet there, but every time she started to slip, some piece of her would fight, would drag her back to the sunshine, where Louis was whispering encouragement to her, begging her to stay awake. She could, she’ll stay awake. For Louis.  _

“Finding you again was all I could think about.” Harry said softly. “Being stuck in Missouri, alone, with nothing to go on to find you… I hated that. It was so lonely. At least you had Niall, and Zayn, and Liam. I suppose I had Oliver for a time, but it wasn’t the same.” She shook her head. 

_ Harry and the rest of Butch’s gang were perched on a grassy hill overlooking the train tracks, the summer sun at their backs. “Robbie, you hold up the conductor.” She reminded. “Butch and the rest board, shake the passengers, get their valuables, and get off. I’ll wait with the horses. Get in, get out. Fast so they don’t know what hit them, and a faster exit.” _

_ “Yes ma’am.” Butch said drily, as if he hadn’t somehow lost the top dog position in the gang to a girl. “I hear it coming, let’s go.” He nudged his pony forward to the spot they had picked when they last scoped the place. The heist went off without a hitch, Robbie riding up along side the engine and hopping from his pony to the steps, ordering the train to a halt. Harry grabbed for Robbie’s reins, trailing the pony behind Lucky and grabbing for the rest of the herd as Sunny and Butch led the charge through the passenger cars. Within ten minutes they were mounted back up, sacks full of cash and jewelry, as they disappeared into the setting sun. _

_ “Say, Rosie. What are you doing out here all by yourself, anyway? Pretty young thing like you.” Sunny enquired, sprawled out around the opposite side of the campfire. She had decided to follow them north to their hideout in Wyoming, with no leads on Louis to go on. _

_ She couldn’t even bring herself to joke with him about being a ‘pretty young thing.’  _

_ “Looking for someone,” Harry answered heavily, picking under her nails with the tip of a knife.  _

_ “Who?” Butch asked, curious now.  _

_ “Someone important.” She said simply, turning away from the fire and settling down, using her saddle as a pillow as she searched fruitlessly for sleep. The next morning, she was gone without a trace, her tack and Lucky too.  _

_ “Guess she needed to keep looking.” Butch sighed, shaking his head.  _

“But I found you.” Harry smiled. “I found you, and I thank God every day for that. I can’t picture me without you, or you without me.” 

Louis shook her head. “I don’t want to think about that.” She whispered. “That nearly broke me, Harriet. Losing you for that long. It was almost worse than when you got shot. At least I could be there while you healed, at least you woke up soon.”

_ “Carefully, carefully.” Liam said, holding one end of the stretcher, Alex the other, Harry still pale and unconscious between them as they moved her from the sheriff’s office to a cot in the bar, a thin blanket covering her shirtless body. Niall and Zayn still had Louis locked away, wrapped in a quilt of her own as she tried to recover from the hysterics, but Liam knew once Louis got word that she was alive, they would be inseparable.  _

_ “Get me clean cloths, start a fire in the hearth, and get me more blankets, this one is seeping through.”Liam commanded, a bit of blood still oozing from Harry’s side despite the doctors best attempts to patch her up. Joey appeared again with cloths that Liam used to apply pressure, wincing to himself before covering Harry with blankets, making sure the room was warm, and taking a deep breath.  _

_ “Stay with her.” He requested of Alex. “I’m going to go get Louis.”  _

_ He took the stairs two at a time, finding Niall holding Louis tightly and Zayn rubbing her back soothingly. Her eyes were red rimmed, her breathing ragged, but she seemed calmer than before. All three girls snapped their heads towards the door as he entered, waiting expectantly.  _

_ “She’s alive.” He said carefully. “But in bad shape. She’s lost a lot of blood. Time will tell.” _

_ Louis practically flew down the stairs, kneeling beside Harry’s cot, clutching her hand tightly. “My dove,” she whispered, hardly noticing how Alex carefully backed away to give them room. “I’m so sorry, my darling, I am so sorry.” She sniffed, kissing the back of Harry’s hand. She sat with her, all through the night, not moving. The doctor came again in the morning, stared in disbelief that the girl was still breathing, gave her some more morphine and instructions to try and get some food in her.  _

_ She woke that afternoon, crying out with the pain but alive, and well, and lucid. Louis didn’t leave her side for days, not until two weeks later when the skin was strong enough for Harry to sit up and feed herself, and even then not for long. It was a month before she was moving around, and even then, the damage to the muscles and bones was extreme, she couldn’t walk for long at all.  _

_ Liam found them the land that winter, and they bought it right away, ready for a life of quiet, away from the danger, away from the city, ready for a fresh start, whether or not Harry could ride there herself.  _

“I’m sorry I put you through that.” Harry whispered, reaching out to squeeze Louis’ hand. 

“Don’t be.” Louis shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Still,” Harry sighed. “If the roles had been reversed, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Louis just smiled softly and blew Harry a kiss. “Here’s hoping we never find out, my love.” 

Harry returned the affection and nodded, grinning to herself. “Remember the first night we caught Liam and Niall kissing?” She asked, giggling quietly. “It was right after a robbery, back east somewhere.”

“Naw, it was Texas, remember?” Louis grinned. “That northern town we robbed, nearly got caught, too. Just before we quit robbing.” 

_ “We would like to make a withdrawal,” Liam said smoothly, holding his gun with a practiced ease, four of them inside while Harry waited in the street with the horses, keeping watch for law. This was a bigger town, and a bigger bank than usual, but that meant more loot. Their little facade of pretending to be customers was no longer working, so more traditional methods were at play now: Niall had a gun on the few patrons of the bank, Liam and Louis the tellers, and Zayn was cracking the safe, grabbing as much money as she could. They were in and out far quicker than anticipated, and Harry grinned, accepting the bags that Zayn tossed up to her and spurring Lucky to a gallop while the rest of the posse mounted up and did the same. _

_ “Hey!” Someone yelled, and bullets went ricocheting around them, making Niall’s pony Cloud rear, nearly toppling backwards on top of her. Liam turned around, circling Niall and firing back at the crowd, aiming to injure rather than kill, before the pair lit out of town after the others.  _

_ Louis chanced a glance over her shoulder to check on them, but turned her eyes back to Harry at the front of the pack. She and Lucky looked like they were one being, her wild curls streaming loose behind her, bent over his neck with her spurs catching the light and her jeans wrapped around his barrel. A gust of wind caught her hat and she clutched it with a laugh, shoving it down farther on her head before turning to look over her shoulder and make sure her family was on her tail. She threw a triumphant fist in the air, laughing into the wind. She was beautiful. Radiant. And Louis was so in love.  _

_ Zayn soon overtook Lucky and Birdy, her Golden the fastest of their mounts by far, with Liam and Niall bringing up the tail, having left their attackers in the dust. _

_ They didn’t dare stop riding until well into the night, Zayn leading them over stone and through a small creek where she could, trying to make their tracks impossible to follow. They had to stop and rest eventually, though, in a small cave with a few cacti rising up in front of the entrance.  _

_ Liam seemed to circle Niall like a hawk, worried eyes scanning her. “You’re sure you’re ok?” He asked for the dozenth time.  _

_ “I’m fine, Liam, I promise. Relax.” Niall said, a little exasperated. The other three shared a knowing look and hid their smiles, watering their ponies and taking out a dinner of jerky and hardtack. Louis and Harry curled up together with a quilt, Zayn taking out a knife and whittling by the fading light at the mouth of the cave, while Niall and Liam sat together, talking in hushed whispers.  _

_ “Look,” Harry giggled softly, glancing at them a few minutes later. “It’s finally happening.”  _

_ Liam was cautiously leaning in, pressing a chaste kiss to Niall’s lips.  _

_ “You owe me two bits!” Louis called to Zayn at the front of the cave, startling Liam and Niall apart. It earned her rude gestures from all three of them, Harry just laughing and hiding her face in Louis’ shirt.  _

“I’m happy they have each other.” Harry grinned, shaking her head. “Took them long enough.”

As the last of the sun disappeared behind the mountains, they finally turned their horses back towards the barn, stowing them away and returning to the party. It didn’t seem that they had been missed, the guests still dancing and eating and laughing, 

“Dance?” Harry offered again, smiling down at her partner, taking Louis’ hand and stepping into the firelight, sighing happily and dropping her forehead to Louis’ shoulder as they swayed, content in eachothers arms. 

[ _**hearts don’t break around here - ed sheeran** _ ](https://open.spotify.com/track/2dfHh7ECGxfNqZTQno09Vk?si=xDlNyzz4TTSCW0im2yK5Hw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I hope you love these funky little lesbians as much as I do. 
> 
> Butch and his gang are very loosely based on Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. There was a badass gal that ran with them named Ann Bassett, who had a cattle ranch with her sister in Colorado that the Wild Bunch occasionally stayed at and helped her prevent cattle rustlers.


End file.
